Pilot Debrief

SCHEINEMAN-VAN BUREN T 18 near Longmont, CO — 2018-02-16

Final reportCEN18LA102
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Date
2018-02-16
Location
Longmont, CO, USA
Airport
LMO
Aircraft
SCHEINEMAN-VAN BUREN T 18
Registration
N89ER
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action, which resulted in a groundloop and nose over.

NTSB narrative

The tailwheel-qualified private pilot was conducting his first flight in the T-18 airplane with a flight instructor. After several local flight maneuvers and about seven uneventful landings, he planned to execute a full-stop landing. During the landing roll, the airplane turned right as it decelerated. The pilot attempted to correct the turn with left rudder control and braking, but the airplane groundlooped, departed the runway surface, and nosed over, which resulted in damage to the left wing and vertical stabilizer. The pilot was unsure if he had applied any braking pressure during the landing before having directional control issues. The flight instructor did not recall the accident sequence due to his injuries. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures, except for a fractured rudder cable. Examination of the cable revealed an overstress separation, which was consistent with accident damage. Thus, the pilot likely failed to maintain directional control during the landing roll and the flight instructor did not take timely remedial action to maintain runway heading.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the landing to regain control before ground looping.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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