Pilot Debrief

CURTISS WRIGHT P 40B near New Smyrna Beach, FL — 2014-10-29

Final reportERA15LA039
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Date
2014-10-29
Location
New Smyrna Beach, FL, USA
Airport
EVB
Aircraft
CURTISS WRIGHT P 40B
Registration
N284CF
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while landing with a crosswind, which resulted in a ground loop and a subsequent runway excursion.

NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, except for the 1.2 hours of flight time that he had accumulated during two test flights in the accident airplane, which had occurred within the previous 30 days, he had not flown an airplane of the same make and model in about 4 years. The accident flight was the second flight in the airplane since it had been reassembled. The pilot attempted to land the airplane with a 13-knot crosswind. During the landing, the tailwheel "shimmied" when it contacted the runway, and the airplane immediately began to veer right. The pilot attempted to arrest the turn with left rudder and left brake inputs, but the airplane ground looped and subsequently departed the right side of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and lower fuselage. Postaccident examination of the rudder and braking systems revealed no mechanical anomalies or malfunctions that would have caused the loss of directional control.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot chose runway 02 instead of 07, increasing risk during landing.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 8 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents8

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