- Date
- January 16, 2009, 14:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Yucca Valley, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N90086Jones Rodney V Wittman TA
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 6, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20090116000339A
- Case key
- 73256
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
A loss of directional control due to a weld joint failure of the left rudder pedal.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that during the landing roll on the asphalt runway, the left rudder pedal separated and he was unable to maintain directional control. Subsequently, the airplane ground-looped and exited the right side of the runway. The fuselage and left wing were structurally damaged. The left rudder pedal was separated at its weld point. No further anomalies were noted with the flight control systems.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during the landing roll on the asphalt runway, the left rudder pedal separated and he was unable to maintain directional control. Subsequently, the airplane ground looped and exited the right side of the runway. The fuselage and left wing were structurally damaged. The left rudder pedal was separated at its weld point. No further anomalies were noted with the flight control systems.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N90086
- Reported as
- Jones Rodney V Wittman TA
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Williams Jerry M
- Registered owner
- Williams Jerry M
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- HJO · Hanford, CA
- Destination
- L22 · Yucca Valley, CA
- Airport
- L22 · Yucca Valley Airport, runway 24, 4,363 × 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
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 17, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 299 total · 159 in this make and model · 25 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.35 inHg
- Observed at
- NXP, 15 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.