 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
A homebuilt sailplane's tail wheel steering clip failed on takeoff unbeknown to the pilot so that on landing he lost control of the aircraft as the tail wheel touched down; damaging the aircraft.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 975052 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201110 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801-2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Sail Plane |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Landing |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Tail Wheel |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Glider Flight Crew Flight Instructor |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 15 Flight Crew Total 17300 Flight Crew Type 20 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Ground Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control Ground Event / Encounter Object |
Narrative:
Glider had a hard left turn on takeoff behind tow-plane. I overcame it by full right-hand rudder and right-hand stick input. Flew for 2.5 hours to 14;500 ft. I landed glider on centerline in winds less than 10 KTS. As tail wheel touched; a hard left turn [was] experienced with left wing on ground. Right-hand wing contacted a runway light; breaking it off; and causing leading edge dent on right-hand wing; one inch by 2 inch; and right-hand inboard flap section skin tear. Disconnection of tail cone revealed steering spring clip (spring connected to rudder push rod and tail wheel steering horn) had disconnected due to right-hand full rudder deflection and/or ground handling that caused the clip disconnection. Clip is 'C' shaped; bent over spring and horn (no safety).corrective action: 1) redesign of steering spring clip to mimic 'paper clip' so any spring of horn connection cannot be opened or disconnected; 2) removal of tail cone and rebuild [it] with [an] inspection port (window) to inspect same on preflight.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A homebuilt sailplane's tail wheel steering clip failed on takeoff unbeknown to the pilot so that on landing he lost control of the aircraft as the tail wheel touched down; damaging the aircraft.
Narrative: Glider had a hard left turn on takeoff behind tow-plane. I overcame it by full right-hand rudder and right-hand stick input. Flew for 2.5 hours to 14;500 FT. I landed glider on centerline in winds less than 10 KTS. As tail wheel touched; a hard left turn [was] experienced with left wing on ground. Right-hand wing contacted a runway light; breaking it off; and causing leading edge dent on right-hand wing; one inch by 2 inch; and right-hand inboard flap section skin tear. Disconnection of tail cone revealed steering spring clip (spring connected to rudder push rod and tail wheel steering horn) had disconnected due to right-hand full rudder deflection and/or ground handling that caused the clip disconnection. Clip is 'C' shaped; bent over spring and horn (no safety).Corrective action: 1) Redesign of steering spring clip to mimic 'paper clip' so any spring of horn connection cannot be opened or disconnected; 2) Removal of tail cone and rebuild [it] with [an] inspection port (window) to inspect same on preflight.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.