Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's inability to maintain directional control of the airplane as a result of the partial failure of the tail wheel assembly. A factor associated with the accident was the crop that the airplane contacted.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The airplane ground looped following a failure of one of the tail wheel bolts. The pilot reported he was landing at a private grass airstrip when the accident occurred. He reported that upon landing the tail wheel broke and the airplane ground looped. Inspection of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector from the Minneapolis, Minnesota Flight Standards District Office revealed the airplane traveled into a bean field during the ground loop. The inspector reported the bottom bolt on the tail wheel assembly fractured which resulted in the loss of directional control.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CHI06CA221