- Date
- April 11, 2002, 16:50 local (23:50 UTC)
- Place
- Coeur d' Alene, ID
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N858RSSteele Steen Skybolt
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 18, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20020411010419A
- Case key
- 54508
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 during the landing rollout.
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 reported that shortly after touchdown, during the rollout, the airplane started tracking to the left of the runway centerline. During his attempts to correct the situation, the airplane swerved to the right. The pilot stated he applied full left rudder, but the airplane continued to the right and the left main landing gear strut collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that may have contributed to the accident.
Factual narrative
On April 11, 2002, about 1650 Pacific daylight time, a tail-wheel equipped Steele Steen Skybolt, N858RS, sustained substantial damage while landing at the Coeur d'Alene Airport, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The airplane is owned by the pilot, and was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight under the provisions of Title 14, CFR Part 91. The airline transport pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight.
According to the pilot, he was landing on runway 23. He reported that shortly after touchdown, during the rollout, the airplane started tracking to the left of runway centerline. During his attempts to correct the situation, the airplane swerved to the right. The pilot stated he applied full left rudder, but the airplane continued to the right and the left main landing gear strut collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the lower left wing.
The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that may have contributed to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N858RS
- Reported as
- Steele Steen Skybolt
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 100RC
- Airframe hours
- 721
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · February 22, 2002 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- COE · Coeur d' Alene, ID
- Destination
- COE · Coeur d' Alene, ID
- Airport
- COE · Coeur D'Alene Air Terminal, runway 23, 7,400 × 140 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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- April 3, 2002
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 1 in this make and model · 15,000 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.03 inHg
- Observed at
- KCOE
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 26, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 441 KB in all.
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 N858RS · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.