# NTSB SEA06CA149: Maule M-7-235C, N15SN, Auburn, WA, July 26, 2006 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: July 25, 2006, 17:28 local (Jul 26, 2006, 00:28 UTC) - Place: Auburn, WA - Coordinates: 47.327777, -122.226669 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.3278&lon=-122.2267&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 29, 2006 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 64445 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=SEA06CA149 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/64445/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA06CA149 ## Probable cause The loss of directional control [not possible] during landing roll as a result of the disconnected tail wheel steering assembly [for undetermined reasons], which led to an inadvertent ground loop during the landing roll. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Airframe/component/system failure/malfunction, landing - roll - landing gear,steering system - disconnected (cause) - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - directional control - not possible, pilot in command (cause) - ground loop/swerve - inadvertent, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis The pilot said that he noticed that the right clevis of the right tail wheel spring to the wheel's steering arm was starting to open several hours before a 10 hour maintenance inspection. The mechanic crimped the clevis during this inspection. After the inspection was completed, the pilot returned to his home airport and landed on runway 16 with a direct right crosswind of 5-10 knots. The pilot said that his landing was a normal right crosswind landing and the airplane rolled out normally for 200-300 yards. He said that the airplane started to turn right, and he applied full left rudder with no effect [a photograph of the accident scene showed a serpentine black skip mark approximately 20 feet to the left of the 75 foot wide runway center line]. The pilot said that the nose of the aircraft had started to swing sharply to the right before he could "think" of using differential braking. The airplane exited the right side of the runway and came to rest on its left wing tip, left main landing gear, and engine. The left wing and aileron were bent and wrinkled. Postaccident examination of the tail wheel assembly revealed that the clevis which connected the right tail wheel spring to the wheel's steering arm was disconnected. It was not determined why the tail wheel shimmied during the landing roll. At the time of the accident, the pilot had approximately 99 hours of flight experience, with 23 hours in make and model. ## Factual narrative On July 25, 2006, at 1728 Pacific daylight time, a Maule M-7-235C, N15SN, was substantially damaged when it ground looped during a landing roll at Auburn Municipal Airport, Auburn, Washington. The private pilot, the sole occupant on board, was not injured. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight which had originated from Vaughan Ranch Airfield, Port Orchard, Washington, approximately 30 minutes before the accident. The pilot had not filed a flight plan. The pilot said that he noticed that the right clevis of the right tail wheel spring to the wheel's steering arm was starting to open several hours before a 10 hour maintenance inspection. The mechanic crimped the clevis during this inspection. After the inspection was completed, the pilot returned to his home airport and landed on runway 16 with a direct right crosswind of 5-10 knots. The pilot said that his landing was a normal right cross-wind landing and the airplane rolled out normally for 200-300 yards. He said that the airplane started to turn right, and he applied full left rudder with no effect [a photograph of the accident scene showed a serpentine black skip mark approximately 20 feet to the left of the 75 foot wide runway center line]. The pilot said that the nose of the aircraft had started to swing sharply to the right before he could "think" of using differential braking. The airplane exited the right side of the runway and came to rest on its left wing tip, left main landing gear, and engine. The left wing and aileron were bent and wrinkled. Postaccident examination of the tail wheel assembly revealed that the clevis which connected the right tail wheel spring to the wheel's steering arm was disconnected. It was not determined why the tail wheel shimmied during the landing roll. At the time of the accident, the pilot had approximately 99 hours of flight experience, with 23 hours in make and model. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N15SN](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N15SN), registered now, S/N 25074C, built 2001 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Maule M-7-235C - Registry model: [Maule M-7-235C](https://openairdocs.org/model/maule-m-7-235c) (registry code 5460110) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming TI0-540 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (registry code 41533, turbo-prop) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 25074C - Airframe hours: 805 - Engines: Lycoming IO-540-W1A5 235 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Sameer A. Nene - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, June 1, 2006 - Departed: WN13, Port Orchard, WA - Destination: S50, Auburn, WA - Airport: S50, Auburn Municipal Airport, runway 16, 3,400 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 35; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; seat: left; flight hours: 99 total, 23 in this make and model, 55 as pilot in command, 17 in the last 90 days, 14 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 290° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 57 °F - Altimeter: 29.95 inHg - Observed at: SEA, 8 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20060725021789A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060725021789A), Jul 25, 2006: Maule M7235C, Auburn, WA, Substantial damage. (-23) During rollout after landing on rwy 16 aircraft swerved left then ground looped to the right. Aircraft came to rest on its nose in the grass 15 feet to… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.