Boeing B75N1 N1066M

Summary

On 12 July 2008 at about 17:25 local time, a Boeing B75N1 registered N1066M was involved in an accident near Culpeper, Virginia, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 July 2008 at 17:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Culpeper, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Culpeper (CJR)

Coordinates

38.5256, -77.8597

Aircraft

Boeing B75N1

Registration

N1066M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Culpeper → Culpeper

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC08LA247

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane while landing in a quartering tailwind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

As the pilot was landing the tailwheel-equipped biplane on runway 4 (a 5,000-foot-long, 100-foot-wide asphalt runway), the airplane touched down on the main landing gear and started to veer to the left. The pilot attempted to return the airplane to the center of the runway by applying rudder control; however, the airplane subsequently veered right, exited the right side of the runway, entered a ditch, and nosed over. The pilot stated that he did not experience any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane, and none were revealed during a postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector. Another inspector observed a windsock near the runway that indicated winds between 160 and 180 degrees and of no more than 5 knots within a half an hour of the accident. This wind may have caused the airplane to swerve into the wind (to the right), compounding the effect of the rudder applied by the pilot to correct the initial veer to the left. Tailwheel-type airplanes, such as the accident airplane, have a greater tendency to be affected by wind than nosewheel-type airplanes because the surface area behind the landing gear of a tailwheel-type airplane is greater.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.