# NTSB LAX00LA227: Curtis-Wright Travel AIR 4000, N6425, Reno, NV, June 14, 2000 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 14, 2000, 16:15 local (23:15 UTC) - Place: Reno, NV - Coordinates: 39.480876, -119.740104 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.4809&lon=-119.7401&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor, 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 1, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 49449 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX00LA227 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/49449/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX00LA227 ## Probable cause The pilot's improper bounced landing recovery technique and failure to maintain directional control in a quartering tailwind condition. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - flare/touchdown - recovery from bounced landing - improper, pilot in command (cause) - weather condition - crosswind (contributing factor) - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - Nose over, landing - roll - object - vasi light/system (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot lost directional control of his 1928 Curtis-Wright Travel Air 4000 following a bounced touchdown on runway 16L, which is 9,000 feet long and 150 feet wide. A wing contacted the runway and the airplane veered 30 degrees left. It departed the runway and collided with a precision approach path indicator light fixture following which it nosed over. No mechanical malfunctions were experienced with the operation of the airplane. About the time of the accident, the reported wind was from 300 degrees at 4 to 6 knots. In the pilot's completed accident report, he recalled that the wind's direction was variable, and its speed was 6 knots. ## Factual narrative On June 14, 2000, about 1615 hours Pacific daylight time, a Curtis-Wright Travel Air 4000, N6425, owned and operated by the pilot, veered off runway 16L during landing rollout at the Reno/Tahoe International Airport, Reno, Nevada. Thereafter, the airplane collided with an airport light fixture and nosed over. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was performed under 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane was substantially damaged. The private pilot sustained minor injuries, and the passenger was not injured. The personal flight originated from Placerville, California, about 1500. The pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that he performed a normal landing on runway 16L in his 1928 vintage conventional gear airplane. Runway 16L is 9,000 feet long and 150 feet wide. The pilot further reported that after touching down near the runway numbers he lost directional control when the airplane suddenly veered left and the right wing tip dragged on the pavement. The airplane departed the runway at a 30-degree angle. No mechanical malfunctions were experienced with the operation of the airplane. An air traffic controller, who reportedly witnessed the accident, indicated that during landing, the airplane appeared to bounce on the runway. Thereafter, it veered off the runway and collided with a precision approach path indicator (PAPI) light fixture following which it nosed over. About the time of the accident, the reported wind was from 300 degrees at 4 knots. In the pilot's completed accident report, he recalled that the wind's direction was variable, and its speed was 6 knots. Reno Airport's surface wind direction and speed during the hour before and after the accident were as follows: At 1456, the wind was from 020 degrees, 4 knots. At 1556, the wind was from 350 degrees, at 7 knots. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6425](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N6425), registered now, S/N 766 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Curtis-Wright TRAVEL AIR 4000 (TRAVEL AIR) - Registry model: [Curtiss Wright TRAVEL AIR 4000](https://openairdocs.org/model/curtiss-wright-travel-air-4000) (registry code 2621802) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 766 - Airframe hours: 2587 - Engines: Lycoming R-680-9 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Franklin C. Hamilton - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, September 14, 1999, 5 hours before - Departed: PVT, PLACERVILLE, CA - Destination: RNO - Airport: RNO, Reno/Tahoe International, runway 16L, 9,000 × 150 ft, concrete ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 54; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: rear; flight hours: 776 total, 11 in this make and model, 597 as pilot in command, 23 in the last 90 days, 11 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 350° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 203 °F, dew point 106 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: RNO ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20000614013509A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000614013509A), Jun 14, 2000: Curtis TRVAIR4000, Reno, NV, Substantial damage. (-23) The pilot said he was carrying about 10 mph more speed than noraml. The pilot said that on touch down the aircraft skipped and came back down off center.… ## Other investigations on N6425 (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB MIA04LA087](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA04LA087), Apr 16, 2004: Curtiss-Wright Travel Air 4000 (N6425), Port St. Lucie, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing, which resulted in an inadvertent swerve, the right main landing gear wheel separating, and the airplane impacting trees and… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.