- Date
- April 23, 2008, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Alexander City, AL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1682GChampion 7KCAB
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 28, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080423836229A
- Case key
- 67912
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 separation of the right tail wheel spring on landing roll out for undetermined reasons, resulting in a loss of directional control and collision with a ditch.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he was conducting a personal flight with the owner of the airplane. The owner did not have any flight time in make and model. The airplane had a pre-buy inspection conducted two days before the accident and no anomalies were noted. The pilot conducted a preflight inspection before the flight and no anomalies were noted. The pilot and the owner departed on runway 36 and remained in a left closed traffic pattern. The pilot made a three-point landing in the first 1,000 feet of the runway, and was on the landing roll out, when the tailwheel started to shimmy. He applied forward pressure on the control stick and raised the tailwheel off the runway. The shimmy ceased and the pilot applied aft pressure on the control stick and lowered the tail wheel onto the runway. The airplane immediately veered to the right. The pilot applied left brake and rudder, but the airplane continued to the right off the right side of the runway and collided with a ditch. The right main landing gear separated and the right wing received structural damage. Examination of the airplane revealed the right spring on the tailwheel control had separated from the rudder and the tailwheel attachment. The tailwheel spring was located about 20 feet off the right side of the runway and there was no visible damage to the tailwheel spring or the upper and lower attachments points. The previous owner stated that he informed the new owner of the tendency for the tailwheel to shimmy during the three-point landings.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated he was conducting a personal flight with the owner of the airplane. The owner did not have any flight time in make and model. The airplane had a pre-buy inspection conducted two days before the accident and no anomalies were noted. The pilot conducted a preflight inspection before the flight and no anomalies were noted. The pilot and the owner departed on runway 36 and remained in a left closed traffic pattern. The pilot made a three-point landing in the first 1,000 feet of the runway, and was on landing roll out, when the tail wheel started to shimmy. He applied forward pressure on the control stick and raised the tail wheel off the runway. The shimmy ceased and the pilot applied aft pressure on the control stick and lowered the tail wheel onto the runway. The airplane immediately veered to the right. The pilot applied left brake and rudder, but the airplane continued to the right off the right side of the runway and collided with a ditch. The right main landing gear separated and the right wing received structural damage. Examination of the airplane revealed the right spring on the tail wheel control had separated from the rudder and the tail wheel attachment. The tail wheel spring was located about 20 feet off the right side of the runway and there was no visible damage to the tail wheel spring or the upper and lower attachments points. The previous owner stated that he informed the new owner of the tendency for the tail wheel to shimmy during three-point landings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1682G
- Reported as
- Champion 7KCAB
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 137
- Airframe hours
- 1,209
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James V. Hamilton
- Registered owner
- David S. Kaiser
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2007
- Departed
- KALX · Alexander City, AL
- Destination
- KALX
- Airport
- KALX · Thomas C. Russell Field, runway 36, 5,425 × 96 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
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 1, 2007
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 10,170 total · 27 in this make and model · 7,318 as pilot in command · 64 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- KMXF, 37 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.
Other investigations on N1682G · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.