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Stuck rudder pedal bends Stearman

By NTSB · May 8, 2014 ·

Aircraft: Boeing A75N1. Injuries: None. Location: Foley, Ala. Aircraft damage: Substantial.

What reportedly happened: The pilot, who was attempting to land, felt the airplane was high on final approach, so he established a forward slip to lose some altitude.

He did not fully arrest the rate of descent before flaring and the plane bounced upon touchdown and the nose swung to the right. Attempts to correct the right veer by applying the left rudder were unsuccessful because the left rudder pedal appeared to be stuck.

The airplane skidded down the runway and the left wing tip hit the runway. The airplane went off the runway and into the grass.

The pilot said that a passenger in the front seat may have interfered with the rudder pedal.

Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during landing.

NTSB Identification: ERA12CA381

This May 2012 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.

About NTSB

The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant events in the other modes of transportation, including railroad, transit, highway, marine, pipeline, and commercial space. It determines the probable causes of accidents and issues safety recommendations aimed at preventing future occurrences.

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Comments

  1. Jimmy Carter says

    May 22, 2014 at 8:21 am

    Pilot did forget, should be a little 3/4 throttle go-around may be OK then try again the rudder pedal may control as different felt before the landing. Or, his Stearman’s rudder is broken the wire or bad pedal?

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