- Date
- March 5, 2010, 15:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Onalaska, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N164LTTarantola Leonard RV-6A
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 1, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100305028559A
- Case key
- 75450
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 bounced landing on a soft turf runway, resulting in a collapsed nose landing gear.
Findings · 3
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 he was landing the airplane at a privately-owned grass airstrip. He stated that the airplane bounced on landing and that during the rollout the nosewheel "clogged" with dirt, dug into the soft dirt, then collapsed rearward. The airplane subsequently nosed over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he was landing the airplane at a privately-owned grass airstrip. He stated that the airplane bounced on landing, and during the roll out, the nose wheel "clogged" with dirt and the nose gear dug into the soft dirt then collapsed rearward. The airplane subsequently nosed over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N164LT
- Reported as
- Tarantola Leonard RV-6A
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 21633
- Airframe hours
- 1,042
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Decker Richard A
- Registered owner
- Decker Richard A
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · May 15, 2009
- Departed
- KCLS · Chehalis, WA
- Destination
- PVT · Onalaska, WA
- Airport
- PVT · Onalaska - Private, runway 27, 1,100 × 30 ft, grass/turf
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
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,557 total · 341 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 25, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 319 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 N164LT · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.