- Date
- August 22, 2004, 13:50 local (17:50 UTC)
- Place
- Louisville, KY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N151BWWahl S-51D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20040822018379A
- Case key
- 59967
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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control on the runway during 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
After landing on runway 24, the airplane began to veer to the right. The pilot applied left rudder to compensate, and as the airplane began to move, the right wingtip scraped the runway. After realigning the airplane on the centerline of the runway, the pilot released left rudder input and the left main landing gear collapsed. As the airplane veered to the left, the pilot applied right rudder, and the right main landing gear collapsed. The airplane then slid to a stop on the remaining runway. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed substantial damage to the left wing spar, and no pre-impact mechanical deficiencies were observed. Additionally, the pilot had recently purchased the airplane and the accident occurred during his first hour, and fifth landing in it.
Factual narrative
On August 22, 2004, at 1350 eastern daylight time, an amateur built S-51D, N151BW, was substantially damaged during landing at the Bowman Field Airport (LOU), Louisville, Kentucky. The certificated airline transport pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight which originated at the Clark County Airport (JVY), Jeffersonville, Indiana. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, shortly after touchdown on runway 24, he placed the propeller into the Beta range and the airplane began to veer to the right. He then applied left rudder to compensate, and as the airplane began to move, the right wingtip scraped the runway. After realigning the airplane on the centerline of the runway, the pilot released left rudder input and the left main landing gear collapsed. As the airplane veered to the left, the pilot applied right rudder, and the right main landing gear collapsed. The airplane then slid to a stop on the remaining runway.
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector after the accident revealed that the left wing spar was buckled. No pre-impact mechanical deficiencies were noted with the airplane.
Additionally, according to the FAA inspector, the pilot had recently purchased the airplane, and the accident occurred during his first hour, and fifth landing in it.
The winds reported at LOU, at 1353, were from 110 at 7 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N151BW
- Reported as
- Wahl S-51D
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 149
- Airframe hours
- 146
- Engine
- Walter M601D, 724 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- George Keyes
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- AAIP · August 16, 2004 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- JVY · Jeffersonville, IN
- Destination
- LOU · Louisville, KY
- Airport
- LOU · Bowman Field Airport, runway 24, 4,326 × 80 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
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial, Military, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- August 13, 2004
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 11,879 total · 1 in this make and model · 8,578 as pilot in command · 132 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.03 inHg
- Observed at
- LOU
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.