Amateur-built F1 accident near Truckee, California, September 11, 2008
On September 11, 2008, a amateur-built F1, registered N954CB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Truckee, California (Truckee-Tahoe 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
The failure of the bolts securing the tail wheel to its attach point that resulted in a loss of directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 11, 2008
- Place
- Truckee, California · Truckee-Tahoe Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built F1
- Registration
- N954CB · registry record · serial 116
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot made a normal landing but the airplane veered off the runway when the tail wheel made contact with the pavement. The airplane ground looped, sustaining damage to the left wing tip. The pilot said that rudder control inputs he made were ineffective in controlling the airplane. During a post-accident examination of the airplane, the pilot discovered that the bolts which attach the tail wheel assembly to the tail spring were sheared.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail gear attach section › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,098 hours in all; 114 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 1,010 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 21, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 112 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 26, 2008; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Avworks IO-540 Exp (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BTF Bountiful UT at 9:30 pm
- Destination: TRK Truckee CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 7,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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.