The commercial pilot had recently purchased the tailwheel-equipped Van’s RV-8 and was receiving flight instruction in it toward a tailwheel endorsement.
He completed two successful landings at the airport in Fernandina Beach, Florida. During the third landing, in a 12- to 14-knot right crosswind, and just as the tailwheel was about to settle onto the runway, the airplane began to veer to the right side of the runway.
He attempted to compensate by applying full left rudder, as did the flight instructor, but the airplane continued off the right side of the runway and into the grass.
Before coming to a rest the left main landing gear collapsed and the left wing hit the ground, substantially damaging it.
Following the accident both the pilot and the flight instructor reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation, nor was any found during a post-accident examination of the airplane conducted by an FAA inspector.
Probable Cause: The pilot receiving instruction’s loss of directional control on landing with a crosswind, which resulted in a runway excursion and the left main landing gear collapsing.
To download the final report. Click here. This will trigger a PDF download to your device.
This January 2020 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Read all the NTSB documents: It wasn’t misapplication of flight controls…..
Both the student and CFI (finally) agree that the front-seat student was pushing on the right brake.
“Mr. Booth initially said that he did not believe that he had pressed the brake, but he later said that he may have accidently applied the brake.”
Lower the wing to stop drift. Use rudder to align wheel.
This ground loop and all ground loops happen because pilots are not taught to land in a crosswind correctly! As you get slower the ailerons need to be moved to the stops into the wind as you roll out. All ground loops happen because the pilot didn’t use enough aileron into the wind. I will land my RV7 in a 20kt direct crosswind any day, but you have to move the stick towards the aileron stops into the wind. I teach this kind of flying and what I see all the time is the pilot lands nicely then they relax on the ailerons(Neutral)YOU MUST KEEP MOVING THE AILERONS SLOWLY INTO THE WIND TO THE STOPS!
Is that because in RV’s, the downwind aileron would have added enough drag to control yaw? Do you ever add power to increase rudder effectiveness?
Or use the downwind brake?