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ERA10CA227

2010-04-11 · Greenville, North Carolina, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport PGV

Current FAA registration · N897DC

Make / Model
MAULE MX-7-180A
Engine
LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
5 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19931028
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AC5FA3

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the make and model airplane.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane stated that he made a "three-point" landing on the asphalt runway. After touchdown, the airplane began to "pull" to the right, and the pilot corrected by applying left rudder. "Within a split second," the airplane turned "hard left,” collapsing the right main landing gear. The right wing impacted the runway and sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures. The pilot had received a tailwheel endorsement the day prior to the accident, and reported 5 hours of flight time in the accident airplane. He also stated to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that he had received limited exposure to operating the tailwheel-equipped airplane on hard-surface runways, as his tailwheel flight instruction was conducted mostly from turf runways. The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane stated that he made a three-point landing on the asphalt runway. After touchdown, the airplane began to pull to the right and the pilot corrected by applying left rudder. The airplane immediately turned "hard left,” collapsing the right main landing gear. The right wing impacted the runway and sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures. The pilot had received a tailwheel endorsement the day prior to the accident, and reported 5 hours of flight time in the accident airplane. He also stated to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that he had received limited exposure to operating the tailwheel-equipped airplane on hard-surface runways, as his tailwheel flight instruction was conducted mostly from turf runways. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • F Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Total experience w/ equipment-Pilot - F
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_ERA10CA227.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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