LAX05LA103

The pilot lost control of the tail wheel equipped airplane while landing with a right quartering tailwind. The pilot landed on runway 4R with the wind between 140 and 220 degrees from 7 to 14 knots. Upon landing the airplane veered to the right. The pilot attempted to realign the airplane with rudder, aileron, and brakes, to no avail. He applied full power to abort the landing, but the engine hesitated and the left main landing gear collapsed. The engine's carburetor was not equipped with an accelerating pump. Without one an engine can experience a hesitation during rapid throttle application. No anomalies were noted with the engine or the airframe that would have prevented their normal operation. The pilot had a tail wheel endorsement and 69 hours in the accident airplane make and model.

On February 21, 2005, at 1205 Hawaiian standard time, a Luscombe 8F airplane, N2248B, was substantially damaged when its left main landing gear collapsed during an aborted landing on runway 4R at the Kalaeloa Airport (JRF), Kapolei, Hawaii. The airplane was registered to, and operated by the private pilot under the provisions of the 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the local flight, which originated from the Honolulu International Airport (HNL), Honolulu, Hawaii, at 0935.

According to the pilot's written statement, he flew to JRF to practice touch-and-go takeoff and landings. The wind direction provided by air traffic control was from 140 degrees at 14 knots, and the pilot was informed that runway 4R was in use. The pilot performed two touch-and-go takeoff and landings without mishap. During the third landing, he experienced a "strong right rear quartering crosswind," and the airplane veered to the right. He used aileron, rudder, and brake application an attempt to straighten the path of the aircraft, to no avail. The pilot applied full power to go around but received "no response from the engine and simultaneous failure of the left main landing gear."

The aircraft came to rest in the center of the runway at a 45-degree angle to the runway centerline. The airplane sustained structural damage to the left wing and the engine firewall.

The weather conditions at HNL, which is located 8 miles east of JRF, at 1153, were reported as: winds from 220 degrees at 7 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; a few clouds at 5,000 feet; temperature 26 degrees Celsius; dew point 13 degrees Celsius; and an altimeter setting of 30.05 inches of mercury.

The accident airplane was equipped with a 90-horsepower Continental C-90-12F engine, which according to the mechanic that worked on the airplane and sold it to the pilot, did not include a carburetor accelerating pump. According to Aircraft Powerplants (Seventh Edition; Kroes & Wild), "when the throttle controlling an engine is suddenly opened, there is a corresponding increase in the airflow; but because of the inertia of the fuel, the fuel flow does not accelerate in proportion to the airflow increase. Instead, the fuel lags behind, which results in a temporarily lean mixture. This, in turn, may cause the engine to miss or backfire, and it is certain to cause a temporary reduction in power." The accelerating pump was designed to add additional fuel into the carburetor during sudden power application. Prior to the pump's addition to the carburetor, engines would sometimes hesitate when power was added rapidly.

Post-accident examination of the airframe and engine by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector and a certified aircraft mechanic revealed no anomalies that would have prevented their normal operation

The pilot had a tail wheel endorsement. He also accumulated 150 total flight hours, of which 69 hours were accumulated in the accident airplane.