N450MF – Boeing Stearman A75N1 – 1997-06-07 NTSB Accident Report

On June 07, 1997, a Boeing Stearman A75N1 (N450MF) was involved in an incident near Lemoore, CA. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: Failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing, which resulted in a ground swerve and subsequent overload failure of the main landing gear. Related factors were a left crosswind and partial loss of the right wheel brake.

On June 7, 1997, at 0810 hours Pacific daylight time, a Boeing Stearman A75N1, N450MF, was substantially damaged when it ground looped during landing at Lemoore Naval Air Station, Lemoore, California. There was no injury to the solo commercial pilot. The flight departed Hanford, California, at 0750 with visual meteorological conditions prevailing for the personal flight.

The pilot stated that, during the landing rollout, the airplane started a swerve to the left so he added full power to go around. The power application torqued the airplane into a fully developed ground loop from which it came to rest after approximately 135 degrees of turn. During the turn, both main gear collapsed, allowing the propeller to strike the runway surface several times.

This incident is documented in NTSB report LAX97LA201. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N450MF.