- Date
- May 29, 2006, 08:00 local (12:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mount Pocono, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5640SMaule M-5-180C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20060529008689A
- Case key
- 63853
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 disconnected tailwheel compression spring, which resulted in a loss of directional control.
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 Maule M-5-180C airplane touched down on the main landing gear, and then the tailwheel touched down shortly thereafter. The pilot then experienced a "very strong pull to the left," and attempted to correct with aileron and rudder. The airplane departed the runway to the left, struck the wing, and came to rest upright. Examination of the tailwheel revealed that the retention clip for the right compression spring was missing, and the spring had disconnected from the swing arm. The retention clip was not recovered.
Factual narrative
The Maule M-5-180C airplane touched down on the main landing gear, and then the tailwheel touched down shortly thereafter. The pilot then experienced a "very strong pull to the left," and attempted to correct with aileron and rudder. The airplane departed the runway to the left, struck the wing, and came to rest upright. Examination of the tailwheel revealed that the retention clip for the right compression spring was missing, and the spring had disconnected from the swing arm. The retention clip was not recovered.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5640S
- Reported as
- Maule M-5-180C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 8009C
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-C1F, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Air Wings, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 50PA · Stroudsburg, PA
- Destination
- MPO · Mount Pocono, PA
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
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 223 total · 36 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.