- Date
- August 13, 2006, 13:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Tracy, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N22JFSicheneder Pitts S1S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 28, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20060813029279A
- Case key
- 64321
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 failure of the pilot to maintain directional control during the landing rollout.
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 pilot landed the airplane within the first 1,000 feet of the runway, just right of the centerline. During the rollout, the airplane encountered a dip in the runway, and the pilot felt the landing gear 'flex'. The airplane then veered to the left, and the pilot attempted to correct with right rudder and brake; however, the airplane swerved and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower right wing, upper left wing, and the vertical stabilizer.
Factual narrative
On August 13, 2006, at 1315 Pacific daylight time, an experimental Sicheneder Pitts S1S, N22JF, nosed over during landing at Tracy Municipal Airport, Tracy, California. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The commercial pilot was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal flight departed Byron Airport, Byron, California, at 1300. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The pilot stated in a written report that as he approached Tracy, he checked the Automated Weather Observation System, and visually established contact with two other aircraft in the pattern. He then joined the pattern and established the airplane for a landing on runway 30. He performed a three point landing within the first 1,000 feet passed the threshold. He stated that he landed just right of the centerline, and during rollout encountered a dip in the runway. He felt the landing gear 'flex' and the airplane then veered to the left. He attempted to correct with right rudder and brake, but the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower right wing, upper left wing, and the vertical stabilizer.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N22JF
- Reported as
- Sicheneder Pitts S1S
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- H478
- Airframe hours
- 850
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James R. Marshall
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · August 1, 2006 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- C83 · Byron, CA
- Destination
- TCY · Tracy Municipal, CA
- Airport
- TCY · Tracy Municipal, runway 30, 4,001 × 100 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
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 1, 2006
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 447 total · 401 as pilot in command · 71 in the last 90 days · 38 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.81 inHg
- Observed at
- SCK, 16 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.