- Date
- May 30, 2006, 16:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Holbrook, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N515TTWaco Classic YMF 5C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20060530013559A
- Case key
- 63871
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind condition and failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing, which resulted in a ground loop.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The tail wheel equipped airplane ground looped during landing. The pilot reported that during touchdown, a gust of wind blew the tail to the right, turning the biplane to the left. The pilot failed to regain aircraft control and the right lower wing contacted the pavement. The airplane eventually departed the left side of the runway into sandy soil and nosed down. The pilot reported the wind as variable but predominantly from 120 degrees at 9 knots.
Factual narrative
On May 30, 2006, at 1630 mountain standard time, a Waco Classic Aircraft Corp. YMF 5C airplane, N515TT, ground looped while landing on runway 3 at the Holbrook Municipal Airport (P14) Holbrook, Arizona. The airplane was registered to the private pilot, who operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed for the cross-country flight that originated from Kingman, Arizona, at 1500.
According to the pilot's written statement, he had established the tail wheel equipped biplane at 75 knots for the wheel landing. Upon touchdown a gust of wind "blew the tail to the right, initiating a turn to the left." The right lower wing contacted the pavement, and the airplane eventually departed the left side of the runway into sandy soil. The right main landing gear collapsed and the airplane nosed down coming to rest on the propeller, left wing tips, and left main landing gear. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the landing gear, wings, and fuselage.
The pilot reported the wind as variable but predominantly from 120 degrees at 9 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N515TT
- Reported as
- Waco Classic YMF 5C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- F5C-086
- Airframe hours
- 636.5
- Engine
- Jacobs R-755-B2M, 275 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- George Schreyer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 2005 · 39 hours before
- Departed
- IGM · Kingman, AZ
- Destination
- P14 · Holbrook, AZ
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- P14 · Holbrook Municipal, runway 3, 6,698 × 75 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 73
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 1, 2005
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 2,450 total · 713 in this make and model · 5,152 as pilot in command · 55 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.