- Date
- May 24, 2009, 13:40 local (20:40 UTC)
- Place
- Tacoma, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N17119Stinson SR-8B
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 19, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20090524006489I
- Case key
- 73895
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 application of unintended braking input due to the pilot's failure to keep his feet correctly positioned on the rudder pedals during the landing roll.
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
During a firmer than normal three-point touchdown in the tail wheel-equipped airplane, the pilot's feet slid down low on the rudder pedals, where they inadvertently came in contact with the floor-mounted heel brakes. Therefore, as the pilot made directional control inputs to the rudder pedals, he also made unintended brake applications. Those brake applications resulted in the airplane rolling up onto its nose, and then falling off to one side. When it fell off to one side, the end of the wing came in contact with the runway, resulting in damage to its interior primary structure. The pilot said there was no malfunction of the rudder or braking systems.
Factual narrative
During a firmer than normal three-point touchdown in the tail wheel-equipped airplane, the pilot's feet slid down low on the rudder pedals, where they inadvertently came in contact with the floor-mounted heel brakes. Therefore, as the pilot made directional control inputs to the rudder pedals, he also made unintended brake applications. Those brake applications resulted in the airplane rolling up onto its nose, and then falling off to one side. When it fell off to one side, the end of the wing came in contact with the runway, resulting in damage to its interior primary structure. The pilot said there was no malfunction of the rudder or braking systems.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N17119
- Reported as
- Stinson SR-8B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 9819
- Airframe hours
- 4,948
- Engine
- Lycoming R-680-13, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Culver Donald E
- Registered owner
- Culver Donald E
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 2008
- Departed
- S50 · Auburn, WA
- Destination
- KTIW · Tacoma, WA
- Airport
- KTIW · Tacoma Narrows, runway 17, 5,002 × 150 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
- 82
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 7, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 23,000 total · 81 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 19, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 785 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 N17119 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.