We were interested, and pleased, to see that runway loss of control (RLOC) only accounted for 21 of the most recent Taylorcraft accidents—when we do an accident scan for tailwheel airplanes we expect to see RLOC account for 50 to 60 percent of the total. Even though it appears the classic T-craft has better than average manners on the ground for a tailwheel airplane, the modest power available means that if something starts going wrong on landing, it’s wise to go-around early. We counted six blown go-around accidents; three involved hitting obstructions off to the side of the runway, and three hit obstructions off the end of the runway.
We also noted that 13 accidents involved hitting obstructions on takeoff or landing—seven were on landing and included everything from hitting power lines to snagging the tailwheel on the airport fence. The modest power and climb rate may have been a factor in the six airplanes that crashed into something, usually trees, after takeoff.