No fatalities

2 Jul 2010: AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC A-1B — Steven McFarland` — Centennial, CO

Centennial, CO, United States

On 2 Jul 2010, an AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC A-1B operated by Steven McFarland` was involved in an aviation accident near Centennial, CO. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control and the certified flight instructor's delay in remedial action. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During tailwheel certification training, the student pilot's third flight ended with a loss of control on rollout, causing the aircraft to exit the runway and flip over down an embankment, resulting in damage to the right wing spar and horizontal stabilizer.

Incident Overview

A certified flight instructor (CFI) and a private pilot student were engaged in tailwheel certification training. The accident occurred during the third flight of the day, after the student had practiced 3-point landings and main wheel landings. The student was performing an additional 3-point landing when the incident took place.

Sequence of Events

The CFI reported that the pattern and approach were normal. During the rollout, as the airplane slowed, it began to drift left. The CFI called for right rudder input. Subsequently, the airplane began drifting right of the centerline. After the CFI called for left rudder, he attempted to regain control using rudder and power inputs. The airplane then entered a violent turn to the left, departed the runway surface, and flipped over while going down an embankment.

Damage

The right wing spar and the horizontal stabilizer were bent. No other damage was specified in the source.

Investigation

No probable cause was stated in the source. The investigation did not determine a specific cause for the loss of control.

Contributing factors

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedInstructor/check pilot