North American T-6G accident near Elbert, Colorado, November 17, 2002
On November 17, 2002 at about 5:30 pm local time, a North American T-6G, registered N7197C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elbert, Colorado (Kelly Air Park airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
overload failure of the cable between the left rudder pedal and the tail wheel, rendering directional control impossible and resulting in an inadvertent ground loop and nose over. Contributing factors were the crosswind and the soft, wet ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 2002 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Elbert, Colorado · Kelly Air Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American T-6G · all T-6Gs on the register
- Registration
- N7197C · no longer on the register · serial 492897
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that after a short flight, he made a normal landing on runway 17, touching down at 75 to 80 mph. The wind was from 220 degrees at 14 knots. He used left rudder and tail wheel steering to keep the airplane from weathervaning into the wind. About 1,000 feet into the landing roll, the airplane veered sharply to the right. The pilot attempted to correct with opposite braking, but to no avail. The airplane went off the 36 foot wide runway about 40 mph onto soft ground and nosed over. According to the pilot, when the airplane was retrieved, it was noted that the cable between the left rudder pedal pulley and the tail wheel was broken.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,417 hours in all; 1,242 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 6,112 as pilot in command; 3,300 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 15, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,309 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 21, 2002; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,560 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney 41-9754 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CO15 Elbert CO at 5:15 pm
- Destination: CO15 Elbert CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,800 ft by 24 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 22,000 ft; a few clouds at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from AFF, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N7197C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.