N685SE – RAF SE5A – 2020-02-27 NTSB Accident Report

On February 27, 2020, a Raf SE5A (N685SE) was involved in an incident near Kingsbury, TX. 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: The pilot's failure to maintain a proper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing, and his subsequent loss of directional control, which resulted in a ground loop.

The pilot reported that the accident happened while landing the conventional (tailwheel) gear equipped World War I replica fighter airplane after a test flight. He stated that the flight was uneventful until the initial touchdown which was harder than expected and the airplane bounced to the left. He was able to correct back to the right but the airplane bounced a second time to the left. When the airplane came down the third time it ground looped. The landing gear collapsed and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies that led to the accident.

This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN20CA105. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N685SE.