- Date
- January 24, 2021, 10:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Spotted Bear, MT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N55BTHeckel Super Sportsman
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20210124000599A
- Case key
- 102559
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 aircraft control during the landing roll on an unimproved snow-covered runway which resulted in a nose-over.
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, prior to landing in the tailwheel equipped airplane, he conducted a low approach over the snow-covered runway for inspection. During the low approach, the pilot observed runway markers and numerous parallel tracks on the runway and decided to land. During landing roll, the airplane encountered an area of soft snow that was deeper than expected, which resulted in the airplane immediately stopping, and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N55BT
- Reported as
- Heckel Super Sportsman
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 101
- Built
- 1992
- Airframe hours
- 656
- Engine
- Continental O-470, 230 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · May 11, 2020 · 74 hours before
- Departed
- 8S1 · Polson, MT
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 8U4 · Spotted Bear /Usfs/, runway 14/32, 3,800 × 78 ft, snow
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B
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
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 24, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 21,430 total · 150 in this make and model · 150 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 0.5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.81 inHg
- Observed at
- KGPI, 33 nm away
- METAR
- KGPI 241655Z 00000KT 10SM OVC017 M07/M09 A2981 RMK AO2 SLP133 T10671094
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 1, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.7 MB 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.