Accident Overview
On February 16, 2018, at approximately 1320 mountain standard time, a Scheineman-Van Buren T-18 airplane, registration N89ER, sustained substantial damage during a landing at Vance Brand Airport (LMO) in Longmont, Colorado. The pilot and a flight instructor on board were seriously injured. The aircraft was operated by the pilot under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a training flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which had departed around 1220.
Flight History
The purpose of the flight was to familiarize the pilot with the recently purchased airplane. The pilot had approximately 200 hours of experience in other tailwheel aircraft. After departure, the pilot practiced several maneuvers, including slow flight, stalls, and steep turns. Returning to LMO, the pilot completed about seven uneventful landings. During the final landing, planned as a full stop, the airplane turned to the right as it decelerated below about 40 knots. The pilot attempted to correct with left rudder and braking, but the airplane ground looped, departed the runway, and nosed over. The left wing and vertical stabilizer were damaged. The pilot was uncertain whether he had applied any braking before the directional control issues. The flight instructor did not recall the final landing due to his injuries.
Post-Accident Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane and found no anomalies except for a fractured rudder cable. The cable showed no wear or chafing, and its installation was consistent with the build instructions. The National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory examined the rudder cable under magnification (5x to 50x stereo microscope) and determined that the fracture surfaces were consistent with an overstress separation.