Aviat S 2C N340BF

Summary

On 28 October 2014 at about 21:45 local time, a Aviat S 2C registered N340BF was involved in an accident near Rutland, Vermont, United States. One person was 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

28 October 2014 at 21:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Rutland, Vermont, United States

Nearest airport

Rutland Airport (KRUT)

Coordinates

43.6061, -72.9739

Aircraft

Aviat S 2C

Registration

N340BF

Category

Airplane

Year built

2003

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Annapolis → Whitefield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ERA15CA037

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing rollout in gusty crosswind conditions, which resulted in a ground loop and subsequent substantial damage to the airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he overflew the runway, observed the windsock, and elected to perform a left quartering headwind landing. The approach and landing on runway 19 was "uneventful" and during the landing roll, the pilot applied left aileron and used both rudder pedals to maintain directional control. Then, the airplane began to veer to the left and "ground looped." The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder during the accident sequence. The pilot further reported that a mechanic indicated that the "tailwheel may be broken" which may have contributed to the ground loop. A postaccident examination revealed that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The winds reported at the airport about the time of the accident were from 120 degrees at 16 knots gusting to 23 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.