# Accident 19970507013949A: Piper PA18150, Rogers City, MI, May 7, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 7, 1997, 19:00 local time
- Place: Rogers City, MI
- Airport: Presque Isle County Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 45.4205° N, 83.8092° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.4205&lon=-83.8092&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4056Z, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4056Z) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-18-150 (registry code 7101828, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-18-150) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA18150
- Reported engine: LYC O320*
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 556 total, 170 in this make and model, 15 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI97LA139](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI97LA139) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970507013949A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(.4)ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE TAILWHEEL BEGAN TO SHIMMY DURING THE LANDING ROLL AND THE TAILWHEEL SPRING ON THE LEFT SIDE BECAME DISCONNECTED. THE AIRPLANE SPUN AROUND 270 DEGREES AND THE LEFT WING CONTACTED THE RUNWAY.  THE AIRPLANE TRAVELED OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY PRIOR TO COMING TO REST.  THE PILOT STATED THE GROUNDSPEED WAS VERY SLOW WHEN THE SPRING DISCONNECTED WHICH RESULTED IN A LACK OF RUDDER AUTHORITY TO CONTROL THE AIRPLANE.(-23) ON MAY 7, 1997, AT 1800 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-18-150, N4056Z, OPERATED BY A COMMERCIAL PILOT GROUND LOOPED DURING A LANDING ROLL AT THE PRESQUE ISLE COUNTY AIRPORT, ROGERS CITY, MICHIGAN. THE 14 CFR PART 91 FLIGHT WAS OPERATING IN VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN.  THE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED.  THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM ALPENA, MICHIGAN, EXACT TIME UNKNOWN.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI97LA139](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI97LA139), May 7, 1997: Piper PA-18-150 (N4056Z), Rogers City, MI, substantial damage. Probable cause: the disconnection of the tailwheel spring which resulted in the pilot's inability to maintain directional control of the airplane.

## Other reports on N4056Z (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 20231104019059A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20231104019059A), Nov 4, 2023: Piper PA-18-150 (N4056Z), Tompkinsville, KY, Substantial damage. According to the pilot's statement: accident flight was a post maintenance flight following an annual inspection. There was one pilot and one passenger onboard…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.