NTSB ERA23LA170 — 2023-03-29 · Lakeland, Florida, United States

Current FAA registration · N791MH

Make / Model: NORTH AMERICAN T-6G
Year of manufacture: 1951 · 72 years old at event
Engine: P&W R1340 SERIES (600 hp)
Seats / Engines: 2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 20010821
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S AABCD7

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N791MH North American T-6G None

Probable cause & findings

A loss of control on the ground as a result of left tailwheel steering cable separation.

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, he performed a wheel landing in the tailwheel-equipped airplane. As he lowered the tailwheel, the airplane turned right, and he applied left rudder to continue straight. As soon as he applied the rudder pressure, he “felt something pop” and the airplane continued to turn right, resulting in a ground loop. In the accident sequence, the left main landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. Post accident examination of the tailwheel steering system noted that the left tailwheel steering cable separated. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Landing gear steering system-Failure

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_ERA23LA170.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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