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ATL93LA069

1993-04-03 · TUSKEGEE, Alabama, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 06A

N89ST has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (AIRPLANE FACTORY INC SLING TSI, built 2024), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE OVERLOAD FAILURE OF THE TAIL WHEEL LEAF SPRINGS, WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING THE LANDING ROLL.

Factual narrative

THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS PERFORMING A NORMAL LANDING; THE TAIL WHEEL TOUCHED DOWN FIRST, THEN THE MAINS. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WAS LOST, AND THE AIRCRAFT GROUND LOOPED. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE TAIL WHEEL LEAF SPRINGS HAD FAILED. THERE WAS CORROSION ON ONE OF THE FRACTURE SURFACES; HOWEVER, METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE SPRINGS REVEALED THAT ALL FRACTURES WERE FROM OVERLOAD. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT ALL OF THE LEAF SPRINGS WERE NOT LOCATED; THEREFORE, A COMPLETE METALLURGICAL STUDY WAS NOT POSSIBLE. THE AIRCRAFT TOTAL TIME WAS 26 HOURS; HOWEVER, THE LEAF SPRINGS WERE INSTALLED IN A USED CONDITION, AND THE MAINTENANCE HISTORY OF THE SPRINGS WAS NOT AVAILABLE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1993_ATL93LA069.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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