- Date
- August 31, 1998, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lock Haven, PA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1924SStubler Taylor Titch
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980831045059A
- Case key
- 43945
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 control of the airplane. A factor in the accident was the pilot's decision to use his left hand to actuate the flap handle located on the right side of the cockpit, while on final and over the runway.
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 purpose of the flight was to evaluate the flight characteristics of the airplane. While conducting the evaluation flight, the pilot noticed a high engine oil temperature, so he aborted the flight, spiraled the airplane down, and entered a right base. While on final, and over the runway at an indicated airspeed of 60 knots, the pilot elected to configure the airplane with full flaps. The pilot stated that while 'flying the airplane with his right hand, the pilot reached across the cockpit with his left hand, grabbed the flap handle and initiated full flaps. The next thing I knew, the airplane was right wing low and the sink rate exceeded normal.' The right wing impacted the ground, separated, and the airplane skidded down the runway inverted to a stop.
Factual narrative
On August 31, 1998, about 1330 eastern daylight time, a homebuilt Taylor Titch, N1924S, was substantially damage during landing at the William T. Piper Memorial Airport, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. The certificated commercial pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to evaluate the flight characteristics of the airplane. He added that the pre-flight, takeoff, climb, and slow flight portions of the evaluation flight went as expected, but he was unable to evaluate power on stalls, accelerated stalls, and power on turns because of a high engine oil temperature indication.
After deciding to abort the evaluation flight because of a high engine oil temperature indication, the pilot "spiraled" the airplane down from 2,300 feet mean sea level and entered a right base for Runway 9. While on final, and over the "numbers" at an indicated airspeed of 60 knots, he elected to configure the airplane with full flaps. He stated:
"Flying the aircraft with my right hand, I reached for the flap handle, located under my right arm, with my left hand and initiated full flaps. The next thing I knew, the aircraft was in a right wing-low attitude and the sink rate was exceeding normal....The aircraft's right wing separated from the fuselage and the plane rolled inverted [and skidded to a stop on the runway]...."
A witness stated that the airplane lost altitude when the pilot preformed a "sharp" turn. The witness added that the right wing hit the ground causing the airplane to roll inverted and slide down the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1924S
- Reported as
- Stubler Taylor Titch (TAYLOR TIT)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001
- Airframe hours
- 16
- Engine
- Continental A-75, 75 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lawrence Stubler
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · July 20, 1995 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- LHV
- Destination
- LHV
- Airport
- LHV · William T Piper Memorial, runway 9, 3,800 × 100 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
- 57
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 5,765 total · 4 in this make and model · 4,910 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IPT, 27 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.