- Date
- April 23, 2011, 12:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Heber, UT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5491WTew William P Team Rocket F1
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 3, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110423006879A
- Case key
- 78962
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 failure to maintain directional control during landing.
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 was returning from a local flight. Upon landing, the airplane bounced slightly and, after the tailwheel touched down, the airplane veered sharply to the right. The pilot attempted to maintain directional control with left rudder and brake; however, the airplane departed the runway and traveled into the grassy area between the runway and taxiway. As the airplane slowed, it turned sharply to the right, which allowed the right wing to contact the ground. While the pilot thought that the left brake may have failed after touchdown, due to the damage to the landing gear assembly he was not able to perform a brake inspection. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane with no mechanical anomalies identified.
Factual narrative
The pilot was returning from a 1-hour local area flight. Upon landing, the airplane bounced slightly, and after the tail wheel touched down, the airplane veered sharply to the right. The pilot attempted to maintain directional control with left rudder and brake; however, the airplane departed the runway and into the grassy area between the runway and taxiway. As the airplane slowed, it turned sharply to the right, which allowed the right wing to contact the ground. The pilot thought that the left brake may have failed after touchdown, but due to the damage to the landing gear assembly it was not possible to perform a brake inspection. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane with no mechanical anomalies identified.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5491W
- Reported as
- Tew William P Team Rocket F1
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 081
- Airframe hours
- 390
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-C4B5, 290 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · April 17, 2011 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- 36U · Heber, UT
- Destination
- 36U · Heber, UT
- Airport
- 36U · Russ McDonald Field, runway 03, 6,898 × 75 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
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 15, 2010
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,200 total · 300 in this make and model · 20 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
- Observed at
- 36U
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 10, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 570 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.