BOEING B75N1 near Culpeper, VA — 2008-07-12

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane while landing in a quartering tailwind.

NTSB narrative

As the pilot was landing the tailwheel-equipped biplane on runway 4 (a 5,000-foot-long, 100-foot-wide asphalt runway), the airplane touched down on the main landing gear and started to veer to the left. The pilot attempted to return the airplane to the center of the runway by applying rudder control; however, the airplane subsequently veered right, exited the right side of the runway, entered a ditch, and nosed over. The pilot stated that he did not experience any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane, and none were revealed during a postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector. Another inspector observed a windsock near the runway that indicated winds between 160 and 180 degrees and of no more than 5 knots within a half an hour of the accident. This wind may have caused the airplane to swerve into the wind (to the right), compounding the effect of the rudder applied by the pilot to correct the initial veer to the left. Tailwheel-type airplanes, such as the accident airplane, have a greater tendency to be affected by wind than nosewheel-type airplanes because the surface area behind the landing gear of a tailwheel-type airplane is greater.

NTSB coding

• Loss of control on ground · Landing-landing roll

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