Robert A Miller MURPHY REBEL ELITE N3552J

Summary

On 2 April 2014 at about 23:00 local time, a Robert A Miller MURPHY REBEL ELITE registered N3552J, operated by Miller Robert A, was involved in an accident near Roundup, Montana, 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

2 April 2014 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Roundup, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Roundup Airport (KRPX)

Coordinates

46.4750, -108.5431

Aircraft

Robert A Miller MURPHY REBEL ELITE

Registration

N3552J

Category

Airplane

Year built

2012

Engines

1

Operator

Miller Robert A

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Roundup → Roundup

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14CA157

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's loss of directional control while landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot-owner was practicing takeoffs and landings in his amateur built experimental airplane. Earlier in the day, he had accomplished several successful landings, and then took a short break. After the break, he flew the airplane again, remained in the airport traffic pattern, and completed an uneventful takeoff and full stop landing. He took off again, made a circuit of the traffic pattern, and set up for a second landing. The pilot described the approach as "perfect," and noted that he was "over the threshold with just the right altitude and airspeed." The touchdown was normal, but during the latter portion of the landing rollout the airplane began to veer to the left. The pilot applied right rudder; the airplane turned right, and exited the right side of the paved runway. About 15 feet off the runway, the left landing gear entered a depression associated with a drainage culvert. The left landing gear was displaced aft and up, and the left wing and nose of the airplane struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. The pilot did not cite any mechanical problems with the airplane. In his written report on the accident, the pilot noted that pilots must be "really quick" on the rudder and "can't relax until the airplane is back in the hangar" when flying a taildragger.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.