Taildragger Pilots Just Smile

Special to ANN By Drew Steketee

Just like gear-up landings, there are those who have and those who….

Some got a smile from NTSB's quick news conference at Washington National Airport last week after a Stearman flipped on DCA's main runway. Then again, it was no ordinary flip!

First, eight Stearmans were arriving for a media event hyping the National Air and Space Museum's new IMAX film "Legends of Flight." Yup, right in front of dignitaries and media brunching behind the big windows of DCA's old main terminal. Talk about an audience! Second, pilot Mike Truschel had a reporter aboard, The Washington Post's Ashley Halsey. And Halsey had a video camera. The result: a taildragger excursion on video from inside and out. Local TV, even the national news, showed a touchdown a little tail-high, then over. Both pilot and passenger emerged unharmed.

Halsey's first-person account seemed to cite all his previous reporting misadventures to relieve Truschel of undoubted embarrassment. Mention was made of a little puff of tire smoke just before rolling over. Truschel said he just "tapped" the brakes.

But then, an NTSB on-site news conference within three hours? A pledge by Chairwoman Deborah Hersman to determine if "any limitations or… winds… affected the accident?" Some pundits later raised eyebrows. An FAA-type and this taildragger pilot shared a chuckle: The "probable cause?" Probably determined seven decades ago.

But "fair and balanced?" Dear NTSB, there are some issues.

File Photo

Reporter Halsey noted the flight was lining up for "Runway 33" (now 34 at DCA) but due to (shifting?) crosswinds, changed to Runway 1.  Truschel had 800 hours total time, per NTSB, 180 of those in Stearmans. Were there distraction and pressure flying the media to a PR event, despite apparent experience with Virginia's Flying Circus airshow? And one might ask how many Stearman landings were on hard surfaces. There IS a difference and few wouldn't sympathize.

But the whole thing closed DCA's main runway for an hour. And that, according to an NTSB spokesman, along with heavy media attention, justified the news conference. "Best to handle it all at once," he said.

Probable cause? A few of us chuckled last week, "It's a mystery!" But let's give NTSB credit that this wasn't a publicity stunt of their own.

NTSB designated investigator Bob Benzon surely knows there ARE limitations and winds ARE a factor in flying taildraggers. Beyond that, we'll await the accident report and acknowledge one known fact: NTSB has been so valuable and professional in the grim investigations and issues of recent times, this one just struck some people funny.

Except, perhaps, Mr. Truschel and event organizers, no doubt. For them, we humbly repeat this encouragement: There are those who….

FMI: www.ntsb.gov