Stinson 108-3 N6855M

Summary

On 3 November 2020 at about 20:35 local time, a Stinson 108-3 registered N6855M, operated by Mondo Beyondo Thrill Squadron, was involved in an accident near El Monte, California, 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.

Date

3 November 2020 at 20:35

Classification

Accident

Location

El Monte, California, United States

Nearest airport

San Gabriel Valley Airport (EMT)

Coordinates

34.0860, -118.0348

Aircraft

Stinson 108-3

Registration

N6855M

Category

Airplane

Year built

1949

Engines

1

Operator

Mondo Beyondo Thrill Squadron

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR21LA064

Nobody was injured.

A loss of directional control during the landing roll due to an undetermined failure of the tailwheel assembly.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During an instructional flight in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, the airplane veered left. Despite the instructor’s application of corrective control inputs, the airplane did not respond as expected, ultimately resulting in a ground loop and substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination revealed that both of the airplane’s tailwheel steering springs and tension chains were missing. The springs were found on the runway following the accident, separated from each other by about 1,700 ft. Neither of the chains were located. The manufacturer’s instructions called for the spring to connect directly to the tailwheel yoke, and the chain to connect to the steering arm with a connector clip. Evidence suggests that the spring was instead incorrectly connected directly to the steering arm. This reverse installation, while not in compliance with the maintenance instructions, did not appear to functionally affect the operation of the steering system, and therefore without examination of the missing chains or further examination of the tailwheel assembly, the significance of this finding could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.