Classic Aircraft CORP WACO YMF accident near Dunnellon, Florida, November 16, 2009
On November 16, 2009 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Classic Aircraft CORP WACO YMF, registered N89B, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Dunnellon, Florida (Dunnellon/Marion County airport). It was an instructional 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
The certified flight instructor’s delayed response to the student pilot's loss of directional control while landing, which resulted in a ground-loop. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's loss of directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 16, 2009 · about 4:00 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Dunnellon, Florida · Dunnellon/Marion County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Classic Aircraft CORP WACO YMF · all WACO YMFs on the register
- Registration
- N89B · registry record · serial F5-006
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was receiving instruction in a tailwheel-equipped biplane from a certified flight instructor (CFI). During the second landing, the student pilot landed the airplane on the runway fast and bounced; the airplane started to veer left. The student pilot corrected with right rudder application. The CFI applied full left rudder when the airplane veered to the right again, which had no effect on the airplane’s direction of travel; the student pilot then applied right brake during the CFI’s correction. The airplane continued right until it ground-looped. The biplane incurred substantial damage to both upper wings and the left lower wing. The flight crew reported no mechanical deficiencies prior to the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student pilot
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 800 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 750 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 17, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,840 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 76 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 5,616 as pilot in command; 2,704 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 16, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,245 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 13, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R755B SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X49 Lakeland FL at 3:45 pm
- Destination: X35 Dunnellon FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 4,702 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 4:30 pm from OCF, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on February 9, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N89B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N89B on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Classic Aircraft Corp WACO YMF 46 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Jacobs R755B SERIES 210 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Marion County · nearest airport
- South Lakeland Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 985 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,705 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N89B 3 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA10CA076.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.