LEMOORE, CA, USA
N450MF
Boeing Stearman A75N1
The pilot stated that he was unable to control a sudden swerve to the left during the landing rollout, so he added full power to go around. The power application torqued the airplane into a fully developed ground loop from which it came to rest after approximately 135 degrees of turn. During the turn, both main gear collapsed, allowing the propeller to contact the runway surface. The pilot also stated that the right brake faded during the landing rollout, and he felt that this contributed to his inability to control the initial swerve.
On June 7, 1997, at 0810 hours Pacific daylight time, a Boeing Stearman A75N1, N450MF, was substantially damaged when it ground looped during landing at Lemoore Naval Air Station, Lemoore, California. There was no injury to the solo commercial pilot. The flight departed Hanford, California, at 0750 with visual meteorological conditions prevailing for the personal flight. The pilot stated that, during the landing rollout, the airplane started a swerve to the left so he added full power to go around. The power application torqued the airplane into a fully developed ground loop from which it came to rest after approximately 135 degrees of turn. During the turn, both main gear collapsed, allowing the propeller to strike the runway surface several times. The pilot also stated that the right brake faded during the landing rollout and he felt that this contributed to the inability to control the initial swerve.
failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing, which resulted in a ground swerve and subsequent overload failure of the main landing gear. Related factors were a left crosswind and partial loss of the right wheel brake.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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