ROLAND, AR, USA
N87SD
Starduster SA-100
After an uneventful 20-minute flight in his tailwheel-equipped biplane, the pilot decided to do a few touch-and-go landings at a private grass airstrip. After a normal touchdown, the aircraft slowed down prematurely. During the end of the landing roll, the two main landing gear tires became bogged down in soft grass, and the aircraft flipped inverted. The pilot stated that he had landed on the runway numerous times before and that he thought that the 'grass looked ok' during his approach. According to local witnesses, it had rained on the day prior to the accident, but not on the day of the accident.
On January 4, 1998, approximately 1530 central standard time, a homebuilt Starduster SA-100 tail wheel equipped bi-plane, N87SD, registered to and operated by the pilot, flipped over during landing roll on a private grass airstrip (Pecan Grove) near Roland, Arkansas. The aircraft was substantially damaged and the private pilot was not injured. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, which originated from North Little Rock, Arkansas, at 1510. In a telephone interview with the NTSB investigator, the pilot reported that, after an uneventful 20 minute flight from North Little Rock, he decided to do a few touch and go landings at the Pecan Grove Airstrip. The pilot stated that, after a normal touchdown, the aircraft slowed down prematurely. During the end of the landing roll, the two main landing gear tires became bogged down in soft grass, and the aircraft flipped inverted. Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed structural damage to the vertical stabilizer, and a cracked spar on the right upper wing. Also, no mechanical anomalies were discovered with the landing gear or braking system. The pilot stated that he had landed on the 3,000 foot grass runway numerous times before and that he thought that the "grass looked ok" during his approach. According to local witnesses, it had rained on the day prior to the accident, but not on the day of the accident. Additionally, the pilot reported that the aircraft had just had an annual inspection performed and that no preexisting anomalies were known to him.
The pilot's inadvertent encounter with soft, wet grass during landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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