Taylorcraft F21B N4418U
12 July 2001 · Simsbury, Connecticut, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 12 July 2001 at about 11:45 local time, a Taylorcraft F21B registered N4418U was involved in an accident near Simsbury, Connecticut, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 11:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Simsbury, Connecticut, United States
- Nearest airport
- Simsbury Airport (4B9)
- Coordinates
- 41.8796, -72.8095
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft F21B
- Registration
- N4418U
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Simsbury → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC01LA170
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
**This report was modified on 2/24/2016. Refer to the public docket for this accident for additional details.** a loose tail wheel assembly and the failure of maintenance personnel to adequately follow annual inspection procedures. A factor in the accident was the crosswind.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the CFI, the private pilot was executing touch and go's on runway 03. During the third landing, after touchdown, the airplane's tailwheel began to "chatter." The airplane started to veer to the right and did not respond to left rudder or brake inputs by the CFI, who had taken over the controls. The airplane then departed the right side of the runway and nosed over. Examination of the airplane revealed that the high and low frequency anti-shimmy compression springs on the tailwheel assembly "had slack." The "slack" allowed for about 2 inches of rudder movement before the compression springs became effective. Review of the airplane's maintenance records revealed that it had seven annual inspections performed after the installation of the tailwheel assembly. The most recent annual inspection was conducted about four months prior to the accident, and the airplane had accumulated about 15 hours of operation since. According to FAA regulations, Appendix D of Part 43, Scope And Detail Of Items To Be Included In Annual And 100-Hour Inspections, each person performing an annual or 100-hour inspection shall inspect all units of the landing gear group for poor condition and insecurity of attachment. The winds reported at a nearby airport, about the time of the accident, were from 320 degrees at 10 knots.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Taylorcraft F21B accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Jul 2002 | Taylorcraft F21B | Somerville, Tennessee, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Sep 1996 | Taylorcraft F21B | Kenai, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Oct 1987 | Taylorcraft F21B | Montgomery, New York, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Sep 2001 | Yakovlev YAK-52 | Washington, Connecticut, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 9 Mar 2001 | Hawker Siddeley HS-125-3A | Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Aug 2001 | Cessna 172M | Danbury, Connecticut, United States | North American Aviation Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 14 Nov 2001 | Kaman K-1200 | Bloomfield, Connecticut, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 2001 | Digimas STARDUSTER TOO | Watertown, Connecticut, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 May 2001 | Schweizer SGS 1-26E | New Milford, Connecticut, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |