19990331002859A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Cessna 172B · Winslow, AZ · March 31, 1999

Date
March 31, 1999 · 10:15 local
Place
Winslow, AZ
Airport
Winslow Municipal
Phase of flight
Other Ground Ops
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N7882X
NTSB investigation
NTSBLAX99LA132
Reported as
Cessna 172B
Reported engine
Continental O300D
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,800 total

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Acft was taxiing in a parking area after landing when the wind lifted the right wing and the acft flipped over. (.19) on March 31, 1999, at 1015 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172B, N7882X, was blown over by high winds while turning from runway 22 to a parallel taxiway at the Winslow, Arizona, airport. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and included peak wind gusts of 75 knots, which were recorded shortly after the accident. The aircraft, owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The personal cross-country flight was conducted under 14 CFR part 91 of the federal aviation regulations and originated at the double eagle airport, albuquerque, new Mexico, on the day of the accident at 0730 as a planned flight to Winslow. According to federal aviation administration records, the pilot received two weather briefings, the first prior to his flight and the second in an in-flight radio contact with prescott afss while en route. In the preflight weather briefing, the pilot was advised of the forecast for strong surface winds. In the in-flight contact, he was also advised of the current strong surface wind conditions, which included observations of winds in the 50-knot range. (.4)the pilot landed on runway 22 and was blown over by high winds while turning off the runway to a parallel taxiway. According to federal aviation administration records, there is no record that the pilot requested or received a preflight weather briefing either through the afss system, contel, or duats. A review of FAA records disclosed that the pilot had an in-flight radio contact with prescott afss while en route. In the contact at 1001, the pilot first inquired only about the CTAF frequency for the Winslow airport. The briefer then advised the pilot of the forecast for strong surface winds over the entire area and provided the 0956 Winslow METAR, which was reporting surface winds from 230 degrees at 40 knots with gusts to 50 knots. Review of the METAR reports showed that peak wind gusts of 63 knots occurred within an hour after the accident. According to engineering data provided by Cessna aircraft, the maximum demonstrated crosswind capability of the aircraft is 17 knots. (-23)following landing in winds of 45 knots to 60 knots the aircraft flipped over whiel taxing down wind to the ramp. Per pilot's statement his only preflight weather briefing was a check of the general weather using satellite data to the FBO. Pilot did not obtain any taf's, metar's, winds aloft, notam's or other data specific to the trip prior to departure.

As the FAA filed it

ACFT WAS TAXIING IN A PARKING AREA AFTER LANDING WHEN THE WIND LIFTED THE RIGHT WING AND THE ACFT FLIPPED OVER. (.19) ON MARCH 31, 1999, AT 1015 MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA 172B, N7882X, WAS BLOWN OVER BY HIGH WINDS WHILE TURNING FROM RUNWAY 22 TO A PARALLEL TAXIWAY AT THE WINSLOW, ARIZONA, AIRPORT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND INCLUDED PEAK WIND GUSTS OF 75 KNOTS, WHICH WERE RECORDED SHORTLY AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT, OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS NOT INJURED. THE PERSONAL CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91 OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS AND ORIGINATED AT THE DOUBLE EAGLE AIRPORT, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT AT 0730 AS A PLANNED FLIGHT TO WINSLOW. ACCORDING TO FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION RECORDS, THE PILOT RECEIVED TWO WEATHER BRIEFINGS, THE FIRST PRIOR TO HIS FLIGHT AND THE SECOND IN AN IN-FLIGHT RADIO CONTACT WITH PRESCOTT AFSS WHILE EN ROUTE. IN THE PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING, THE PILOT WAS ADVISED OF THE FORECAST FOR STRONG SURFACE WINDS. IN THE IN-FLIGHT CONTACT, HE WAS ALSO ADVISED OF THE CURRENT STRONG SURFACE WIND CONDITIONS, WHICH INCLUDED OBSERVATIONS OF WINDS IN THE 50-KNOT RANGE. (.4)THE PILOT LANDED ON RUNWAY 22 AND WAS BLOWN OVER BY HIGH WINDS WHILE TURNING OFF THE RUNWAY TO A PARALLEL TAXIWAY. ACCORDING TO FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION RECORDS, THERE IS NO RECORD THAT THE PILOT REQUESTED OR RECEIVED A PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING EITHER THROUGH THE AFSS SYSTEM, CONTEL, OR DUATS. A REVIEW OF FAA RECORDS DISCLOSED THAT THE PILOT HAD AN IN-FLIGHT RADIO CONTACT WITH PRESCOTT AFSS WHILE EN ROUTE. IN THE CONTACT AT 1001, THE PILOT FIRST INQUIRED ONLY ABOUT THE CTAF FREQUENCY FOR THE WINSLOW AIRPORT. THE BRIEFER THEN ADVISED THE PILOT OF THE FORECAST FOR STRONG SURFACE WINDS OVER THE ENTIRE AREA AND PROVIDED THE 0956 WINSLOW METAR, WHICH WAS REPORTING SURFACE WINDS FROM 230 DEGREES AT 40 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO 50 KNOTS. REVIEW OF THE METAR REPORTS SHOWED THAT PEAK WIND GUSTS OF 63 KNOTS OCCURRED WITHIN AN HOUR AFTER THE ACCIDENT. ACCORDING TO ENGINEERING DATA PROVIDED BY CESSNA AIRCRAFT, THE MAXIMUM DEMONSTRATED CROSSWIND CAPABILITY OF THE AIRCRAFT IS 17 KNOTS. (-23)FOLLOWING LANDING IN WINDS OF 45 KNOTS TO 60 KNOTS THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER WHIEL TAXING DOWN WIND TO THE RAMP. PER PILOT'S STATEMENT HIS ONLY PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING WAS A CHECK OF THE GENERAL WEATHER USING SATELLITE DATA TO THE FBO. PILOT DID NOT OBTAIN ANY TAF'S, METAR'S, WINDS ALOFT, NOTAM'S OR OTHER DATA SPECIFIC TO THE TRIP PRIOR TO DEPARTURE.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.