- Date
- March 24, 2014, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fallon, NV
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N817DCAeronca 7DC
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 18, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20140324002839A
- Case key
- 88963
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 the landing roll with a tailwind.
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 during the third landing of the day in the tailwheel equipped airplane, the wind switched to a quartering tailwind. After touchdown the airplane began to veer to the right. Despite pilot control inputs, the airplane continued to the right and departed the runway surface onto the dirt. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted; its left wing and rudder sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during the third landing of the day in the tailwheel equipped airplane, the wind switched to a quartering tailwind. After touchdown the airplane began to veer to the right. Despite pilot control inputs, the airplane continued to the right and departed the runway surface onto the dirt. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted; its left wing and rudder sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N817DC
- Reported as
- Aeronca 7DC (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7DC81
- Built
- 1948
- Airframe hours
- 3,055
- Engine
- Continental Motors C85 SERIES, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 26, 2014 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- FLX · Fallon, NV
- Destination
- FLX · Fallon, NV
- Airport
- FLX · Fallon Municipal Airport, runway 3, 5,703 × 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
- 23
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 17, 2012
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 402 total · 45 in this make and model · 178 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 3 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- NFL, 5 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 2, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 431 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.