- Date
- April 17, 1997, 09:36 local (16:36 UTC)
- Place
- Mesa, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9013ANorth American SNJ-5
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 21, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970417006049A
- Case key
- 29774
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 his failure to maintain directional control during landing. Factors related to the accident were: the crosswind, and the pilot's inadvertent unlocking of the tail wheel during a wheel landing.
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 stated that there were buildings adjacent to the runway that occluded the surface wind such that there was no apparent crosswind at touchdown. However, as the tail wheel came down, wind from between the buildings caused the airplane to swerve suddenly to the right and depart the runway surface into soft dirt, where the right main gear dug in and broke off. He further stated that in this model, the tail wheel unlocks by pushing the control stick forward. Since a wheel landing was made, he thought that he may have pushed the stick forward enough to unlock the tail wheel and then did not get it back into the relock range before encountering the sudden onset of the crosswind.
Factual narrative
On April 17, 1997, at 0936 hours mountain standard time, a North American SNJ-5, N9013A, ground looped after landing at Falcon Field, Mesa, Arizona. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and there were no injuries to the airline transport pilot or the passenger. At the time, the tower reported a 90-degree crosswind from the right. The flight departed Falcon Field at 0915 hours on a local area personal flight. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
The pilot stated that there were some buildings adjacent to the landing runway that were obstructing the surface wind such that there was no noticeable crosswind at touchdown. However, as the tail wheel touched down, wind from between the buildings caused the airplane to suddenly weathervane to the right and depart the hard surface runway into soft dirt where the right main gear dug in and broke away from the airframe.
The pilot further stated that in this model, the tail wheel is unlocked by moving the control stick forward. Since he made a wheel landing, he thought that he may have pushed the stick forward enough to unlock the tail wheel and then did not get it back into the relock range before encountering the sudden onset of the crosswind.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9013A
- Reported as
- North American SNJ-5
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 90868
- Airframe hours
- 13,567
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN-1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Edward E Malone
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 20, 1996 · 130 hours before
- Departed
- FFZ
- Airport
- FFZ · Falcon Field, runway 4R, 5,100 × 100 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 30,000 total · 300 in this make and model · 17,000 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 12 knots, gusting 5
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FFZ
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.