ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 229561
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| Date: | Monday 13 August 2018 |
| Time: | 11:00 |
| Type: |  Piper J3C Cub |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N42218 |
| MSN: | 14464 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1945 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1776 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental A75-8F |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Friendswood, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Friendswood, TX (7XS0) |
| Friendswood, TX (7XS0) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During the personal flight, the commercial pilot completed several uneventful touch-and-go landings at two nearby airports, then returned and landed on the runway with a right crosswind at 9 knots. As the airplane slowed on the runway, it weathervaned into the wind and veered to the right. The pilot was unable to steer with the tailwheel, and the airplane exited the right side of the runway and collided with a tree.
A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the tailwheel locking mechanism pins were worn and degraded. The locking mechanism could not withstand even a small amount of side pressure; as pressure was applied to the tailwheel, the locking mechanism would unlock and the tailwheel would swivel out of alignment.
It is likely that, due to the degraded locking pins, the tailwheel became unlocked before the final landing and was out of alignment during the landing roll, which precluded the pilot from regaining directional control. It is the pilot's responsibility to ensure that the airplane is in a safe condition for flight; in this case, the pilot did not ensure that the tailwheel locking mechanism was in good working condition before he decided to conduct the flight.
Probable Cause: The pilot's decision to conduct a flight in an airplane that had a tailwheel with degraded locking pins, which allowed the tailwheel to unlock and swivel out of alignment and precluded the pilot from regaining directional control on the ground during a crosswind landing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Oct-2019 18:12 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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