- Date
- May 23, 1987, 16:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fernandina Bch, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2996QNorth American AT-6D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 9, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870523018679A
- Case key
- 31914
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
Tail wheel strut was found to be over serviced causing it to be extended higher than normal. This would cause the aircraft to be harder to steer. On landing in a cross wind the pilot experienced vibration of the tail wheel followed by failure due to torsional overstress of the tail wheel bellcrank. Tail wheel steering control was then lost and the aircraft ran off the right side of the runway causing collapse of the main landing gear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2996Q
- Reported as
- North American AT-6D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 493071
- Airframe hours
- 15,985
- Engine
- P&W R1340, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Scott S.Burch
- Registered owner
- Burch Brothers Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 31, 1987
- Departed
- ISM · Kissimmee, FL
- Airport
- 55J · Fernandina Beach Munic., runway 4, 5,300 × 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
- 30
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 417 total · 198 in this make and model · 395 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CRG, 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.
Other investigations on N2996Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.