Curtiss Wright P 40B accident near New Smyrna Beach, Florida, October 29, 2014
On October 29, 2014 at about 8:20 pm local time, a 1941 Curtiss Wright P 40B, registered N284CF, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near New Smyrna Beach, Florida (New Smyrna Beach airport). It was a flight test 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 directional control while landing with a crosswind, which resulted in a ground loop and a subsequent runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 29, 2014 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- New Smyrna Beach, Florida · New Smyrna Beach · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Curtiss Wright P 40B, built 1941 · all P 40Bs on the register
- Registration
- N284CF · registry record · serial 16073
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, except for the 1.2 hours of flight time that he had accumulated during two test flights in the accident airplane, which had occurred within the previous 30 days, he had not flown an airplane of the same make and model in about 4 years. The accident flight was the second flight in the airplane since it had been reassembled. The pilot attempted to land the airplane with a 13-knot crosswind. During the landing, the tailwheel "shimmied" when it contacted the runway, and the airplane immediately began to veer right. The pilot attempted to arrest the turn with left rudder and left brake inputs, but the airplane ground looped and subsequently departed the right side of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and lower fuselage. Postaccident examination of the rudder and braking systems revealed no mechanical anomalies or malfunctions that would have caused the loss of directional control.
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)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Crosswind correction › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Response/compensation
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Recent experience › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,320 hours in all; 41 in this make and model
- Last flight review: February 27, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 99 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 16, 2014; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison V 1710-33 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Collings Foundation
The flight
- Departed from: EVB New Smyrna Beach FL at 7:25 pm
- Destination: EVB New Smyrna Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 02, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 8:23 pm from EVB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on August 26, 2015. 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 |
| 2 | Correspondence with FAA | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversations with Pilot | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Weather Report and Record | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Excerpts from Aircraft Logbooks | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Photograph 1: Airplane at Rest at Accident Site (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photograph 2: Left Wing (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Photograph 3: Runway Approach End (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.