- Date
- March 31, 1990, 13:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Marathon, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N89BWaco YMF-5
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900331025369A
- Case key
- 32643
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain directional control during takeoff, which resulted in an inadvertent ground swerve. Factors related to the accident were: the crosswind, the pilot's excessive compensation for the wind condition, and his lack of experience in the make and model of aircraft.
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 he applied full left aileron for takeoff in a slight left crosswind. As the tail rose during the takeoff roll, the airplane veered to the left. The pilot applied right rudder, but the aircraft departed the runway in the direction of parked aircraft. The pilot reduced the throttle setting to idle, and subsequently, the aircraft nosed over. The pilot had only about 5 hours of flight time in this tailwheel equipped aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N89B
- Reported as
- Waco YMF-5
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- F5006
- Airframe hours
- 376
- Engine
- Jacobs R-755-B2, 275 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Marathon Fuel Farm
- Registered owner
- Marathon Fuel Farm
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 11, 1989 · 82 hours before
- Departed
- MTH
- Airport
- MTH · Marathon, runway 25, 5,008 × 200 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
- 29
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 330 total · 5 in this make and model · 95 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) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EYW, 26 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 N89B · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.