# Accident 19990521010759A: Piper PA18150, Palacios, TX, May 21, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: May 21, 1999, 10:00 local time - Place: Palacios, TX - Airport: Private - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 28.7091° N, 96.2292° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.7091&lon=-96.2292&mi=10 - Aircraft: N9670P, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N9670P) (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 O320A2B - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 3,793 total, 3,400 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW99LA146](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW99LA146) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990521010759A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. 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. ## 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 FTW99LA146](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW99LA146), May 21, 1999: Piper PA-18-150 (N9670P), Palacios, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with terrain. A factor was the high vegetation. 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.