No fatalities

10 Aug 2019: CONSOLIDATED VULTEE BT13 — Franklin, PA

Franklin, PA, United States

On 10 Aug 2019, a CONSOLIDATED VULTEE BT13 was involved in an aviation accident near Franklin, PA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff in gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in a runway excursion and the left main landing gear collapsing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 4 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During takeoff, a tailwheel airplane encountered a gust of wind, veered left, and exited the runway. The left main landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing.

Accident Details

During the takeoff roll on runway 3, the pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that the airplane encountered a gust of wind. As a result, the airplane veered to the left and departed the runway surface, entering the adjacent grass area. The left main landing gear collapsed as the airplane moved onto the grass, and the left wing sustained substantial damage.

Weather Conditions

The airport's automated weather observation station reported that at the time of the accident, the wind was from 320 degrees at 8 knots, gusting to 17 knots. The wind direction was variable between 290 and 350 degrees. The airplane was using runway 3 for departure.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported that there were no preexisting mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have prevented normal operation.

Contributing factors

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedPilotEffect on operation