Maule M-5-210C N62040

Summary

On 5 April 2010 at about 00:41 local time, a Maule M-5-210C registered N62040 was involved in an accident near Bismarck, North Dakota, United States. 4 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.

Date

5 April 2010 at 00:41

Classification

Accident

Location

Bismarck, North Dakota, United States

Nearest airport

Bismarck Municipal Airport (KBIS)

Coordinates

46.7728, -100.7458

Aircraft

Maule M-5-210C

Registration

N62040

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Eden Prairie → Bismarck

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10CA191

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure compensate for the crosswinds resulting in a loss of directional control while landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was attempting a crosswind landing on runway 31 in a tailwheel equipped airplane. He reported that the airplane began to sink during the landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing. After the airplane touched down for the second time, the pilot pushed the control yoke forward, raising the tail, to ensure that the main landing gear stayed on the runway and to mitigate any potential for porpoising. He stated that his corrective actions were “not a very good move” with the crosswind condition, which resulted in reduced rudder effectiveness because the fuselage restricted airflow past the rudder control surface. The airplane veered off the left side of the runway, despite the pilot’s corrective inputs of right rudder and right brake. The airplane then ground-looped and struck a runway light. The right wing, right aileron and right elevator were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. He noted that the airplane was equipped with 26-inch diameter tires and single puck brakes. He suggested that with increased braking power, by the installation of dual puck brakes, his directional control would have been maintained. He also suggested that the use of another runway, better aligned with the wind, could have prevented the accident. A local weather station reported that the prevailing wind was out of the west-southwest between 10 and 15 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.