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August 18, 2020 · Team Rocket F1 Rocket · N88XK

Finelyville, PA

Overview

Report Status
Probable Cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
August 18, 2020
Injury Outcomes
No injuries (2 uninjured)
Location
Finelyville, PA
Aircraft
Team Rocket F1 Rocket (2018)
Tail Number
N88XK
Injuries
None
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
ERA20CA291

The owner of the airplane had recently purchased it, and a pilot had ferried the tailwheel-equipped, tandem seat airplane across the country and delivered it to him the day before the accident. The purpose of the accident flight was for the ferry pilot to familiarize the owner with the airplane’s avionics. For the accident flight, the owner was seated in the front seat, while the ferry pilot (who did not hold a flight instructor certificate) was seated the rear. The airplane’s rear seat was equipped with a limited set of flight controls that included a control stick, rudder pedals, and throttle. The rear seat was not equipped to control the airplane’s brakes. The pilots departed and flew to a nearby airport with a 4,000-ft-long runway, where the owner flew an approach to landing that terminated in a go-around. The ferry pilot then demonstrated a touch-and-go landing. On the third approach attempt the owner was unable to extend the airplane’s flaps, so they aborted the approach to troubleshoot the problem. The pilots were ultimately unable to extend the flaps and elected to return to the owner’s home airport and land on the 2,500-ft-long runway there. When the ferry pilot initially attempted to land the airplane, it bounced during both attempts and he aborted the landings. The owner described that during the final landing attempt, the ferry pilot approached the runway at a “slightly faster speed” and that the airplane “landed long.” The airplane continued down the runway with its tail in the air. The ferry pilot, being unable to see the runway due to his vision being obstructed by his position in the rear seat, did not realize that the airplane was approaching the end of the runway until the owner called out to him. The owner stated that he began applying the airplane’s brakes with about 400 feet of the runway remaining. The airplane subsequently overran the departure end of the runway. During the excursion both main landing gear collapsed, and the forward portion of the fuselage and engine mount area were substantially damaged. Following the accident, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector responded to the accident site and during his examination of the wreckage he turned on the master switch and extended the airplane’s flaps. The flaps extended normally.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's misjudgment of the airplane’s speed and altitude during the landing approach, and his failure to attain the proper touchdown point during landing, which resulted in a runway overrun. Contributing to the accident were his access to a limited set of flight controls, his obstructed vision due to his seating position, and the pilot’s decision to return to the relatively constrained runway following a perceived anomaly of the airplane’s flaps.

Full Narrative

The owner of the airplane had recently purchased it, and a pilot had ferried the tailwheel-equipped, tandem seat airplane across the country and delivered it to him the day before the accident. The purpose of the accident flight was for the ferry pilot to familiarize the owner with the airplane’s avionics. For the accident flight, the owner was seated in the front seat, while the ferry pilot (who did not hold a flight instructor certificate) was seated the rear. The airplane’s rear seat was equipped with a limited set of flight controls that included a control stick, rudder pedals, and throttle. The rear seat was not equipped to control the airplane’s brakes. The pilots departed and flew to a nearby airport with a 4,000-ft-long runway, where the owner flew an approach to landing that terminated in a go-around. The ferry pilot then demonstrated a touch-and-go landing. On the third approach attempt the owner was unable to extend the airplane’s flaps, so they aborted the approach to troubleshoot the problem. The pilots were ultimately unable to extend the flaps and elected to return to the owner’s home airport and land on the 2,500-ft-long runway there. When the ferry pilot initially attempted to land the airplane, it bounced during both attempts and he aborted the landings. The owner described that during the final landing attempt, the ferry pilot approached the runway at a “slightly faster speed” and that the airplane “landed long.” The airplane continued down the runway with its tail in the air. The ferry pilot, being unable to see the runway due to his vision being obstructed by his position in the rear seat, did not realize that the airplane was approaching the end of the runway until the owner called out to him. The owner stated that he began applying the airplane’s brakes with about 400 feet of the runway remaining. The airplane subsequently overran the departure end of the runway. During the excursion both main landing gear collapsed, and the forward portion of the fuselage and engine mount area were substantially damaged. Following the accident, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector responded to the accident site and during his examination of the wreckage he turned on the master switch and extended the airplane’s flaps. The flaps extended normally.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time13:10 EDT
Nearest AirportFinleyville Airpark (0nm NW)
Runway32
Runway Length2497 ft
Runway Width50 ft
Flight Plan FiledNone
Flight Plan ActivatedNo
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftTeam Rocket F1 Rocket
Tail NumberN88XK
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
Operating RulePart 91
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsLycoming · D4A5 · Reciprocating · 285
Seats2

People & Injuries

Injury SummaryNo injuries (2 uninjured)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured2
Total2
Crew 1Age 50 · Third Class · None
Crew 2Age 59 · Second Class · None

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind300° @ 5 kt
Visibility10 sm
CeilingBroken clouds 8500 ft
Temperature / Dew Point54
Altimeter29.95 inHg
Observation Time17:10
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data