- Date
- July 7, 2001, 10:20 local (16:20 UTC)
- Place
- Stevensville, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N94ATTibert Baby Lakes
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Helena FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010707018059A
- Case key
- 52675
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 of the tailwheel-equipped aircraft during the landing roll. Factors include the pilot's low total time in this make and model aircraft and his lack of recent experience in this make and model aircraft.
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 pilot, who had accumulated approximately three hours flight time in this make and model aircraft prior to the accident flight, had not flown the airplane in about 18 months. He flew it around the area for about one hour getting reacquainted with its characteristics, and then attempted a full-stop landing. Although the touchdown was uneventful, during the landing roll, the aircraft started drifting to the left. The pilot therefore applied right rudder, but over-corrected. Before he could get the aircraft realigned with the runway, the left main gear collapsed, and the left lower wing impacted the runway surface.
Factual narrative
On July 7, 2001, approximately 1020 mountain daylight time, a tailwheel-equipped experimental Tibert Baby Lakes biplane, N94AT, experienced a ground loop during the landing roll at Stevensville Airport, Stevensville, Montana. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, but the aircraft, which is owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal pleasure flight, which departed the same location about one hour earlier, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed. There was no report of an ELT activation.
According to the pilot, who had accumulated about three hours total time in this make and model aircraft prior to this flight, it had been about 18 months since he had last flown the aircraft. After takeoff, he flew around the area for about an hour performing maneuvers that would reacquaint him with the aircraft's characteristics. He then returned to the airport for landing. During the landing attempt, the touchdown was uneventful, but the aircraft started drifting to the left during the landing roll. Therefore, the pilot applied right rudder to correct the left drift, but "over-corrected." Before he was able to bring the aircraft back into alignment with the runway, "...the side-load on the left gear caused it to collapse." Immediately after the collapse of the gear, the lower left wing impacted the surface of the runway.
According to the pilot, it was a calm, clear day.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N94AT
- Reported as
- Tibert Baby Lakes
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 82963BGL
- Airframe hours
- 31
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-C1, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James F. Johnson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 14, 2001 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- 32S · Stevensville, MT
- Airport
- 32S · Stevensville Airport, runway 12, 3,800 × 60 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
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- May 25, 2000
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,618 total · 4 in this make and model · 12 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
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 N94AT · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.