Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The failure of the right main landing gear tire's inner tube, and the subsequent inadvertent ground loop by the pilot.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On July 26, 1999, approximately 1200 mountain daylight time, a Boeing A-75-N1 (Stearman), N56772, was substantially damaged following a ground loop during landing at Bolinder Field-Tooele Valley, Tooele, Utah. The airline transport rated pilot, the sole occupant in the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was being operated by the pilot under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight which originated from Elko, Nevada, approximately 1 hour before the accident. A VFR flight plan had been filed.
The pilot reported that while performing a main wheel landing on runway 34, the airplane bounced once, and then "swerved right." He said that he applied a "strong correction to the left to bring the airplane's nose back to the centerline." The airplane subsequently turned left damaging the right aileron and right rear spar.
Postaccident examination of the right main tire by the pilot disclosed that its inner tube had failed.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# DEN99LA129