- Date
- April 23, 1998, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Americus, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N903HWaco 10 GXE
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 11, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980423021319A
- Case key
- 38511
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control and his improper compensation for wind. Contributing was a crosswind.
Analysis
Upon landing roll-out on runway 05, with predominately west winds being reported in the area, the airplane weather-cocked left, started a right-side-leading skid, departed the left edge of the runway and collapsed the right main landing gear strut.
Factual narrative
On April 23, 1998, about 1330 eastern daylight time, a 1929 Waco GXE, N903H, registered to a private individual, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal cross-country flight, ground looped on landing to runway 05 at Souther Field, Americus, Georgia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the commercial-rated pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight departed Cross City Airport, Florida, 2 hours 30 minutes before the accident.
The pilot stated the biplane started veering left on landing roll, he lost directional control, and skidded off the left runway edge. As the airplane left the runway surface, the right main landing gear strut collapsed, and the right lower wing contacted the ground sustaining structural damage to the wing, the fuselage and the right horizontal stabilizer.
According to a witness, the biplane skidded sideways, (right side leading) off the runway edge after about 600 to 800 feet of rollout, collapsing the right main landing gear strut.
Observed winds at 1254 from the Macon, Georgia, AFSS, which is about 50 miles to the northeast of Souther Field, were 290 degrees at 9 knots. The pilot states his recollection of the wind direction on landing as being, "variable".
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N903H
- Reported as
- Waco 10 GXE
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2037
- Airframe hours
- 1,930
- Engine
- Continental W-670-6N, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Arlee W. Titel
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 1997 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- CTY · Cross City, FL
- Destination
- ACJ
- Airport
- ACJ · Souther Field, runway 5, 5,021 × 100 ft, concrete
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 3,182 total · 600 in this make and model · 3,182 as pilot in command · 39 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MC, 51 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 N903H · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.