- Date
- August 19, 2007, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Springfield, TN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N487JChristen Industries Pitts S-2B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20070819016319A
- Case key
- 66473
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 inadequate compensation for wind conditions 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
According to the pilot of the Pitts S-2B, he made one pass over the runway prior to landing, to observe the wind sock at the airport. He noted a slight crosswind from the west, but he felt it was not very strong. The pilot performed a normal landing on runway 35, a 2,000-foot long turf runway, and during the initial roll-out, a gust of wind blew the airplane to the left. The pilot applied full right rudder to counteract the wind, but was unsuccessful. As the airplane approached the runway edge, the pilot applied full throttle to initiate a go-around. The airplane impacted a ditch off the left side of the runway prior to becoming airborne. The pilot reported no pre-impact anomalies with the airplane. The winds reported at an airport 30 miles to the south, at the time of the accident, were from 210 degrees at 8 knots, gusting to 17 knots.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot of the Pitts S-2B, he made one pass over the runway prior to landing, to observe the wind sock at the airport. He noted a slight crosswind from the west, but he felt it was not very strong. The pilot performed a normal landing on runway 35, a 2,000-foot long turf runway, and during the initial roll-out, a gust of wind blew the airplane to the left. The pilot applied full right rudder to counteract the wind, but was unsuccessful. As the airplane approached the runway edge, the pilot applied full throttle to initiate a go-around. The airplane impacted a ditch off the left side of the runway prior to becoming airborne. The pilot reported no pre-impact anomalies with the airplane. The winds reported at an airport 30 miles to the south, at the time of the accident, were from 210 degrees at 8 knots, gusting to 17 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N487J
- Reported as
- Christen Industries Pitts S-2B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5127
- Airframe hours
- 1,940
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-540, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Steve Johnson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 1, 2007
- Departed
- M91 · Springfield, TN
- Destination
- 3TN9 · Springfield, TN
- Airport
- 3TN9 · Holenthawall Airport, runway 35, 2,000 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 1, 2007
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 2,140 total · 850 in this make and model · 1,945 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 97 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- BNA, 30 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 N487J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.