Maule M-5-180C accident near Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, May 29, 2006
On May 29, 2006 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Maule M-5-180C, registered N5640S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight 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 disconnected tailwheel compression spring, which 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
- May 29, 2006 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-5-180C · all M-5-180Cs on the register
- Registration
- N5640S · no longer on the register · serial 8009C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Maule M-5-180C airplane touched down on the main landing gear, and then the tailwheel touched down shortly thereafter. The pilot then experienced a "very strong pull to the left," and attempted to correct with aileron and rudder. The airplane departed the runway to the left, struck the wing, and came to rest upright. Examination of the tailwheel revealed that the retention clip for the right compression spring was missing, and the spring had disconnected from the swing arm. The retention clip was not recovered.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 223 hours in all; 36 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 50PA Stroudsburg PA at 7:15 pm
- Destination: MPO Mount Pocono PA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.