# NTSB WPR09LA475: Waco QCF-2, N11241, Bend, OR, September 14, 2009 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 14, 2009, 09:00 local (16:00 UTC) - Place: Bend, OR - Coordinates: 44.094444, -121.199996 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.0944&lon=-121.2000&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 27, 2011 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 74861 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR09LA475 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/74861/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=74861 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR09LA475 ## Probable cause The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the make and model airplane. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Performance/control parameters: directional control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Waco QCF, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md?model=9600408), [All aircraft, 3,958 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md) - [Use of equip/info: use of equip/system](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063015): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Waco QCF, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063015/cases.md?model=9600408), [All aircraft, 1,391 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063015/cases.md) - [Experience/qualifications: total experience w/ equipment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02031025): Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge · Pilot; cases with it: [Waco QCF, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02031025/cases.md?model=9600408), [All aircraft, 269 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02031025/cases.md) - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Waco QCF, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=9600408), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) - [Landing gear system: brake](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023242): Aircraft › Aircraft systems · Incorrect use/operation (probable cause); cases with it: [Waco QCF, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023242/cases.md?model=9600408), [All aircraft, 297 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023242/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230) (defining event); cases with it: [Waco QCF, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md?model=9600408), [All aircraft, 4,585 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md) - [Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300); cases with it: [Waco QCF, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300/sequence.md?model=9600408), [All aircraft, 3,643 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300/sequence.md) - [Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094); cases with it: [Waco QCF, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md?model=9600408), [All aircraft, 1,787 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot reported that during landing a gust of wind struck the tail and the airplane yawed to the right as it settled on the runway. The pilot stated that he instinctively applied left rudder and toe brake action to stop the yaw; however, the airplane veered off the runway surface. The left main landing gear collapsed and the left wing contacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot reported that the airplane has a unique braking system in that the brakes are controlled through the throttle lever instead of the traditional toe brake on the rudder pedals. The pilot reported that he had accumulated approximately 1.5 hours in this make and model airplane at the time of the accident. There was no report of a mechanical failure or malfunction that would have precluded normal operation. ## Factual narrative On September 14, 2009, at 0900 Pacific daylight time, a Waco QCF-2, N11241, ground looped after landing on runway 16 at the Bend Municipal Airport (BDN), Bend, Oregon. Woods Brothers Aviation, Inc., operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a cross-country flight. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane sustained structural damage to the lower left wing. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that originated from the Ken Jernstedt Airfield (4S2), Hood River, Oregon, about 0730. No flight plan had been filed. The pilot was ferrying the airplane for the owners, and Bend was a planned fuel stop. The airplane’s ultimate destination was Prescott, Arizona. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector interviewed the pilot. The pilot stated that he had 1.5 hours in this make and model of airplane. The pilot reported that a gust of wind made the tail yaw to the left as the airplane settled on the runway. The pilot instinctively applied left rudder and toe brake to stop the yaw. However, the brake control for this airplane was unique in that it was a function of the throttle handle, not the rudder pedals. The airplane veered off the runway surface, and the left main landing gear collapsed. The left wing contacted the ground, and sustained spar damage. There was no report of a mechanical failure or malfunction with the airplane at the time of the accident. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N11241](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N11241), registered now, S/N 3453, built 1931 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: WACO QCF-2 - Registry model: [Waco QCF](https://openairdocs.org/model/waco-qcf) (registry code 9600408) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental R670-SERIES series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-r670-series-series) (registry code 17016, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 3453 - Engines: Continental W-670 220 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Woods Brothers Aviation Inc - Registered owner: Woods Brothers Aviation Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: 4S2, Hood River, OR - Destination: BDN, Bend, OR - Airport: BDN, Bend Municipal Airport, runway 16, 5,200 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 54; injuries: none; commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine sea, single-engine land; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; seat: rear; flight hours: 5,500 total, 2 in this make and model, 50 in the last 90 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 61 °F, dew point 45 °F - Altimeter: 29.95 inHg - Observed at: BDN, 96 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 20090914018219A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20090914018219A), Sep 14, 2009: Waco QCF, Bend, OR, Substantial damage. On Monday, September 14, 2009, approximately 9:30 am local time, NX11241, a Waco Qcf was flying from hood river, Oregon to prescott, AZ making a scheduled fuel… ## Docket (1 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 21, 2011, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=74861. 12.9 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 12.9 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40346564&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF 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.