Boeing E75 accident near Centerville, Tennessee, August 18, 2017
On August 18, 2017 at about 7:40 pm local time, a 1943 Boeing E75, registered N4859N, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Centerville, Tennessee (Centerville Muni 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot receiving instruction’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 2017 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Centerville, Tennessee · Centerville Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing E75 UNDESIGNAT, built 1943 · all E75s on the register
- Registration
- N4859N · registry record · serial 75-5650
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot receiving instruction reported that, during the landing roll before stopping, the tailwheel-equipped biplane "made a sudden move to [the] left." He added that the flight instructor's quick reactions kept the biplane on the runway and going straight. The pilot then regained control of the biplane, and the left wing dropped and "despite corrective inputs on the controls would not respond to further control inputs," and the airplane then ground looped to the right. Subsequently, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the biplane came to rest nose down on the runway. The biplane sustained substantial damage to all four wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that "it was [his] personal contention and belief that the upper left gear failed[,] resulting in substantial damage to the [biplane] and the resultant ground loop." He added that "[he] did not believe that this particular incident could have been prevented." A review of a video of the accident showed, in part, a loss of control early in the landing roll, followed by a subsequent loss of control and ground loop to the right.
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 defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 305 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 180 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 2, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,940 hours in all; 209 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 3,580 as pilot in command; 277 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 3, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (waiver time limited special)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W670-6N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GHM Centerville TN at 7:30 pm
- Destination: GHM Centerville TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 4,002 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots, gusting 11
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 8:35 pm from KMRC, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number GAA17CA504.