- Date
- November 27, 1998, 17:25 local (Nov 28, 1998, 01:25 UTC)
- Place
- Inyokern, CA
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5636MMaule M-5-235C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report February 16, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19981127040649A
- Case key
- 45432
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 control of the aircraft while 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 said he landed 'a little fast' on the runway and the aircraft ground looped. The right wing tip impacted the terrain and the landing gear collapsed. The pilot reported that the winds were calm at the time of the accident. The pilot further reported that he had approximately 27 hours in tail wheel aircraft, all in this specific make and model.
Factual narrative
On November 27, 1998, at 1725 hours Pacific standard time, a Maule M-5-235C, N5636M, ground looped on landing at the Inyokern, California, airport. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, and the private pilot and four passengers, the sole occupants, were not injured. The personal flight, conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, originated at the California City Airport at 1645, and was terminating at the time of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported that after landing "a little fast" on runway 33, the aircraft spun to the right. The right wing tip impacted the terrain and the landing gear collapsed. The pilot reported that the winds were calm at the time of the accident. The pilot further reported that he had approximately 27 hours in tail wheel aircraft, as well as in the specific make and model. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the pilot's logbook and reported that he had a tail wheel endorsement from the aircraft owner.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5636M
- Reported as
- Maule M-5-235C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7310C
- Airframe hours
- 2,692
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-5IA5D, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William Woodward
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 10, 1998 · 58 hours before
- Departed
- L71 · California City, CA
- Destination
- IYK
- Airport
- IYK · Inyokern, runway 33, 7,100 × 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
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,085 total · 27 in this make and model · 1,080 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.