# Accident 19990504004569A: Piper J3C65, Fort Collins, CO, May 4, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 4, 1999, 10:00 local time
- Place: Fort Collins, CO
- Airport: Downtown Ft Collins Airpark
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.6491° N, 105.0306° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.6491&lon=-105.0306&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6563H, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N6563H) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper J3C-65 (registry code 7100510, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-j3c-65) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental A&C75 series (registry code 17005, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-a-c75-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER J3C65
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN99LA069](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99LA069) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990504004569A

## Narrative

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

ACFT WAS TURNING AROUND DURING TAXI WHEN THE WIND CAUGHT THE ACFT AND FLIPPED IT UP ONTO ITS NOSE, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (-23) ON MAY 4, 1999, APPROX. 1000 MDT, A PIPER J3C-65, N6563H, OWNED BY CUB AIR AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT CENTER, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT NOSED OVER WHILE TAXIING AT DOWNTOWN AIRPARK, FT. COLLINS, COLORADO. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WITH GUSTY WINDS PREVAILED FOR THE LOCAL PERSONAL FLIGHT, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE FLIGHT HAD NOT YET ORIGINATED. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE HAD COMPLETED HIS PRE-TAKEOFF CHECKLIST AND WAS TURNING THE AIRPLANE 360 DEGREES TO CHECK FOR TRAFFIC WHEN A WIND GUST LIFTED THE TAIL AND THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER.

## 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 DEN99LA069](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99LA069), May 4, 1999: Piper J3C-65 (N6563H), Fort Collins, CO, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions. A factor was the gusty wind conditions.

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.

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