Waco Classic Aircraft Corp YMF-5 accident near Nantucket, Massachusetts, August 14, 2007
On August 14, 2007 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Waco Classic Aircraft Corp YMF-5, registered N801TS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nantucket, Massachusetts (Nantucket Memorial Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during takeoff roll, which resulted in an on ground collision with an airport sign.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 2007 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Nantucket, Massachusetts · Nantucket Memorial Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Waco Classic Aircraft Corp YMF-5
- Registration
- N801TS · registry record · serial F5C-090
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, "with a crosswind at 10+ knots, I attempted a take-off on runway 15. After the tail wheel had lifted but before take-off, a [wind] gust suddenly drove the aircraft towards the right edge of the runway. Rather then incur a ground loop for the amount of correction necessary, I decelerated straight ahead. Where upon I hit what I later found out was a large runway sign off the side of the runway in the grassy area." The pilot further stated that, "I should have requested runway 6, which was almost aligned with the wind." Additionally, the pilot reported no mechanical malfunction or failure with the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing spar and left main strut.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,746 hours in all; 199 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 150 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2007; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R755-B2M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ACK Nantucket MA at 8:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from ACK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.