Gerald Dan Coppock Bade-E
Escanaba, MI — August 2, 2018
Event Information
| Date | August 2, 2018 |
| Event Type | ACC |
| NTSB Number | CEN18LA307 |
| Event ID | 20180802X95630 |
| Location | Escanaba, MI |
| Country | USA |
| Coordinates | 45.72278, -87.09361 |
| Airport | Delta County Airport |
| Highest Injury | NONE |
Aircraft
| Make | Gerald Dan Coppock |
| Model | Bade-E |
| Category | AIR |
| FAR Part | 091 |
| Aircraft Damage | SUBS |
Conditions
| Light Condition | DAYL |
| Weather | VMC |
Injuries
| Fatal | 0 |
| Serious | 0 |
| Minor | 0 |
| None | 1 |
| Total Injured | 0 |
Event Location
Probable Cause
The loss of control during the landing rollout for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence, which resulted in a ground loop and runway excursion.
Full Narrative
On August 02, 2018, about 1900 eastern daylight time, a Gerald Dan Coppock BABE-E homebuilt experimental airplane, N142NV, registered to the pilot/builder, sustained substantial damage during a runway excursion following a loss of directional control while landing at the Delta County Airport (ESC), Escanaba, Michigan. The pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The local personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Federal Code of Regulations Part 91. The flight originated from ESC about 1830.
According to the pilot, he was landing on runway 01 at ESC and the airplane touched down normally. During the rollout, the airplane veered to the left once the tailwheel contacted the runway. Both wingtips contacted the runway surface and the airplane ground-looped. The forward section of the fuselage was buckled upward and substantially damaged. The airplane came to rest, nose down and the pilot exited the airplane. According to ESC METAR weather, reported winds about the time of the accident were 330 at 5 knots.
Inspection of the airplane after the accident revealed that the right steering cable chain was broken and hanging from the tailwheel. It could not be determined if the cable break was caused prior to or during the accident sequence. NTSB Form 6120 was not received from the pilot for additional information.
About This NTSB Record
This aviation event was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). NTSB investigates all U.S. civil aviation accidents to determine probable cause and issue safety recommendations to prevent future accidents.