Maule M-5-235C N9181E

Summary

On 25 May 2001 at about 21:45 local time, a Maule M-5-235C registered N9181E was involved in an accident near West Jordan, Utah, 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

25 May 2001 at 21:45

Classification

Accident

Location

West Jordan, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Salt Lake City Muni 2 (U42)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Maule M-5-235C

Registration

N9181E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Nampa → West Jordan

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN01LA104

Nobody was injured.

the pilot inadvertently flaring the airplane too high above the ground, resulting in a hard landing that sheared a bolt in the tail wheel assembly. This rendered directional control impossible and induced an uncontrolled ground loop. A contributing factor was the crosswind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot noted the wind sock indicated the wind was about 20 degrees left of runway centerline. After making a normal crosswind landing, the airplane nosed to the right and he made a correction. When the airplane assumed a three point attitude, it veered to the left. He corrected with right rudder "without letting the wind under left wing" but it had no effect and the airplane departed the runway and nosed over. The pilot said the bolt securing the tail wheel leaf spring had sheared and the tail wheel was driven up against the rudder. A search of the area failed to locate the nut or the bolt end. He said the break was an "extrusion and clean downward shear," but an FAA inspector who examined the airplane stated the damage was consistent with that of a hard landing. Official recorded winds were 320 degrees at 7 knots, with gusts to 14 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.