# Accident 19981218033569A: Piper PA28180, Big Bear, CA, December 18, 1998 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: December 18, 1998, 15:45 local time - Place: Big Bear, CA - Airport: Big Bear City Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 34.2638° N, 116.8560° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at BIG BEAR CITY (L35), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.2638&lon=-116.8560&mi=10 - Aircraft: N5413S, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5413S-2002-01-03) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-28-180 (registry code 7102808, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-180) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA28180 - Reported engine: LYC O360A4A - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 72 total, 72 in this make and model, 53 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX99LA055](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99LA055) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981218033569A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ACFT LANDED HARD AND VEERED OFF THE RWY. (.19) ON DECEMBER 18, 1998, AT 1545 HOURS PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, A PIPER PA-28-180, N5413S, PORPOISED DURING LANDING ON RUNWAY 26 AT THE BIG BEAR, CALIFORNIA, AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT, OWNED BY AERO HAVEN, INC., SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS EXISTED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT THAT HAD DEPARTED FROM LAKE HAVASU, ARIZONA, ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. THE FLIGHT WAS SCHEDULED TO TERMINATE AT BIG BEAR. A FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION INSPECTOR FROM THE RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE, RESPONDED TO THE ACCIDENT SITE. THE INSPECTOR INTERVIEWED A WITNESS AND THE PILOT AND INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT. THE WITNESS STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT CAME INTO LAND AND FLARED APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY AND STALLED. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE RUDDER CONTROL AFTER LANDING AND VEERED OFF THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE INSPECTOR FOUND THAT THE RUDDER BELLCRANK WAS UNATTACHED. (.4) A WITNESS AT THE AIRPORT REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT FLARED APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY, STALLED, AND HIT THE RUNWAY HARD. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALE D THAT THE LANDING GEAR STRUCTURAL MOUNTING BOLTS WERE ELONGATED, THE ENGINE MOUNTS AND BOTH MAIN SPARS WERE BENT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THERE WERE NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS. (-23) ON LANDING AT THE BIG BEAR AIRPORT, THE PILOT BOUNCED THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT BECAME AIRBORNE, STALLED AND HAD A HARD, NOSE LOW LANDING. THE IMPACT BENT THE NOSE GEAR BACK, CAUSING THE PROPELLER TO CONTACT THE RUNWAY. THE IMPACT ALSO BROKE SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE LOWER ENGINE MOUNT TUBES NEAR THE CLUSTER JOINTS AND THE ENGINE MOUNTING POINTS WERE BENT. THE THROTTLE CABLE WAS JAMBED BY ONE OF THE BROKEN ENGINE MOUNT COMPONENTS AND COULD NOT BE REDUCED TO THE IDLE POSITION. THE IMPACT TO THE NOSE WHEEL ALSO OVEREXTENDED THE RUDDER CABLES AND CAUSED THE RUDDER BELL CRANK TO FAIL. THE MAIN GEAR SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE ATTACHING BOLT HOLES. THE PILOT LOST RUDDER CONTROL AFTER THE INITIAL IMPACT AND WAS NOT ABLE TO REDUCE THE THROTTLE TO IDLE, BUT WAS ABLE TO RETAIN SOME CONTROL ON THE GROUND WITH LIMITED NOSE WHEEL STEERING. THE AIRCRAFT RAN OFF THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY, HITTING ONE RUNWAY LIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MAJOR DAMAGE, THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE OCCUPANTS. ## 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 LAX99LA055](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99LA055), Dec 18, 1998: Piper PA-28-180 (N5413S), Big Bear, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's misjudged landing flare, which lead to an inadvertent stall/mush 10 feet above the ground. ## Other reports on N5413S (4) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20010604010819A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010604010819A), Jun 4, 2001: Piper PA28180 (N5413S), Big Bear, CA, No damage, 1 fatal. (.19)On June 4, 2001, at 0855 hours pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180, N5413S, collided with a tree while turning crosswind after takeoff at Big Bear… - [Incident 19940909026169I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19940909026169I), Sep 9, 1994: Piper PA28180 (N5413S), Palm Springs, CA, Minor damage. Low sun blinding. Lost sight proceeding traffic. Elected land on taxiway porpoised until nose gear collpased. - [Incident 19940225005189I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19940225005189I), Feb 25, 1994: Piper PA28180 (N5413S), Big Bear, CA, Minor damage. Student misused rudder pedals on touch and go. Lost directional control of aircraft. - [Accident 19741226044619A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19741226044619A), Dec 26, 1974: Piper PA28180 (N5413S), Lockport, LA, Substantial damage. Cows on both sides of tkof path. Cow ran in front of acft. 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.