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ERA14CA280

2014-06-08 · Reading, Pennsylvania, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport RDG

Current FAA registration · N26M

Make / Model
BOEING A75N1(PT17)
Year of manufacture
1941 · 73 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR W670 SERIES (250 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19860806
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A27DB7

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's loss of control while landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane in a quartering tailwind. A factor in the accident was the changing wind conditions.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped biplane prepared for landing with a reported 70-degree quartering left headwind at 9 knots. After touching down on the main landing gear, and as the pilot lowered the tail, the airplane began turning to the left. The pilot applied right rudder and brake in an attempt to arrest the turn, but was unsuccessful. The airplane turned 90 degrees to the left and skidded sideways before the right wheel separated from the landing gear. The lower right wing then contacted the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the outboard portion of the wing. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot further commented that during the landing, the wind appeared to be in a state of change and that the winds had shifted to a quartering tailwind during the accident sequence. The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped biplane prepared for landing with a reported 70-degree quartering left headwind at 9 knots. After touching down on the main landing gear, and as the pilot lowered the tail, the airplane began turning to the left. The pilot applied right rudder and brake in an attempt to arrest the turn, but was unsuccessful. The airplane turned 90 degrees to the left and skidded sideways before the right wheel separated from the landing gear. The lower right wing then contacted the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the outboard portion of the wing. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot further commented that during the landing, the wind appeared to be in a state of change and that the winds had shifted to a quartering tailwind during the accident sequence. 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
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • F Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Variable wind-Effect on operation - F
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_ERA14CA280.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (loss of control). All research papers