What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On may 21,1999, at 1000 central daylight time, a Piper PA-18-150 airplane, N9670P, was substantially damaged during landing at an unimproved grass strip near Palacios, Texas. The Private rated pilot, sole occupant,was not injured. The airplane was registered to the trull service company of Palacios, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 91 local business flight. According to the pilot, he was conducting a routine inspection of a canal irrigation system for a Private rancher. The pilot was landing at an unimproved grass strip which paralled one of the canals. During the landing flare, a gust of wind pushed the aircraft to the right. The pilot corrected for the wind by lowering the left wing, which was subsequently caught in some tall weeds adjacent to the landing area. The airplane was pulled to the left side of the grass strip where it rolled up the canal bank and rolled nose first into the canal. The airplane came to rest on its nose and right wing in eight inches of water. The right wing was bent up outboard of the wing strut and was bent aft at the wing root. The engine firewall was buckled to the left. According to the pilot, he had accumulated approximately 3,600 hours of total flight time, of which approximately 3,000 hours were in the same make and model as the accident aircraft. (.4) the airplane's left wing contacted tall weeds during the landing flare, and subsequently, the airplane nosed over. The pilot stated that there was a 'slight crosswind from the left,' which drifted the airplane 'slightly to the right.' The pilot lowered the left wing to correct for the crosswind. Subsequently the left wing contacted tall weeds located adjacent to the landing area. The airplane exited the left side of the air strip, where it rolled up a canal bank, turned 90 degrees to the left, and nosed over into the canal. The pilot stated that he had landed in the same area a few weeks earlier and was unaware that the grass had grown so much since then. (-23)the pilot was landing on an unimproved strip near an irrigation canal that he was inspecting. The brush along the side of the strip was taller than it appeared and whe the left wing was lowered to compensate for a cross wind it contacted the brush causing the aircraft to be pulled to the left and ground loop.
As the FAA filed it
ON MAY 21,1999, AT 1000 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-18-150 AIRPLANE, N9670P, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING LANDING AT AN UNIMPROVED GRASS STRIP NEAR PALACIOS, TEXAS. THE PRIVATE RATED PILOT, SOLE OCCUPANT,WAS NOT INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS REGISTERED TO THE TRULL SERVICE COMPANY OF PALACIOS, TEXAS. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED FOR THE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91 LOCAL BUSINESS FLIGHT.ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE WAS CONDUCTING A ROUTINE INSPECTION OF A CANAL IRRIGATION SYSTEM FOR A PRIVATE RANCHER. THE PILOT WAS LANDING AT AN UNIMPROVED GRASS STRIP WHICH PARALLED ONE OF THE CANALS. DURING THE LANDING FLARE, A GUST OF WIND PUSHED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE RIGHT. THE PILOT CORRECTED FOR THE WIND BY LOWERING THE LEFT WING, WHICH WAS SUBSEQUENTLY CAUGHT IN SOME TALL WEEDS ADJACENT TO THE LANDING AREA. THE AIRPLANE WAS PULLED TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE GRASS STRIP WHERE IT ROLLED UP THE CANAL BANK AND ROLLED NOSE FIRST INTO THE CANAL. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST ON ITS NOSE AND RIGHT WING IN EIGHT INCHES OF WATER. THE RIGHT WING WAS BENT UP OUTBOARD OF THE WING STRUT AND WAS BENT AFT AT THE WING ROOT. THE ENGINE FIREWALL WAS BUCKLED TO THE LEFT. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE HAD ACCUMULATED APPROXIMATELY 3,600 HOURS OF TOTAL FLIGHT TIME, OF WHICH APPROXIMATELY 3,000 HOURS WERE IN THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL AS THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT. (.4) THE AIRPLANE'S LEFT WING CONTACTED TALL WEEDS DURING THE LANDING FLARE, AND SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER. THE PILOT STATED THAT THERE WAS A 'SLIGHT CROSSWIND FROM THE LEFT,' WHICH DRIFTED THE AIRPLANE 'SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT.' THE PILOT LOWERED THE LEFT WING TO CORRECT FOR THE CROSSWIND. SUBSEQUENTLY THE LEFT WING CONTACTED TALL WEEDS LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE LANDING AREA. THE AIRPLANE EXITED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE AIR STRIP, WHERE IT ROLLED UP A CANAL BANK, TURNED 90 DEGREES TO THE LEFT, AND NOSED OVER INTO THE CANAL. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD LANDED IN THE SAME AREA A FEW WEEKS EARLIER AND WAS UNAWARE THAT THE GRASS HAD GROWN SO MUCH SINCE THEN. (-23)THE PILOT WAS LANDING ON AN UNIMPROVED STRIP NEAR AN IRRIGATION CANAL THAT HE WAS INSPECTING. THE BRUSH ALONG THE SIDE OF THE STRIP WAS TALLER THAN IT APPEARED AND WHE THE LEFT WING WAS LOWERED TO COMPENSATE FOR A CROSS WIND IT CONTACTED THE BRUSH CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO BE PULLED TO THE LEFT AND GROUND LOOP.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.