RV-8 What happened?

Inhofe's Plane Experiences Problems After Landing

POSTED: 12:12 am CDT October 6, 2006
UPDATED: 12:31 pm CDT October 6, 2006

TULSA, Okla. -- A single-engine plane piloted by Sen. Jim Inhofe spun around
after landing at a Tulsa airport, authorities said Thursday.

Neither Inhofe, R-Okla., an experienced flyer, nor his spokesman, Danny
Finnerty, were hurt in the incident, which Finnerty described as "pretty
minor."

Inhofe and Finnerty were returning from a stop in Duncan in southwestern
Oklahoma around 7:55 p.m. when Inhofe's RV-8 prop plane came in for what
seemed to be a smooth landing at Riverside Airport, Finnerty said.

"Everything was as it should be," he said. "Upon landing, everything was
fine before the tail wheel touched down on the pavement. At that point, the
plane got a little squirrely and fishtailed a little."

Roland Herwig, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration in
Oklahoma City, said a preliminary inquiry found that the plane spun around
briefly upon landing.

Finnerty said Inhofe thinks there may have been a problem with the plane's
rudder.

The plane is old-fashioned, with two wheels in the front and one in the
back, Finnerty said.

Any clues?

LP