19990919028739I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-18-150 · AK · September 19, 1999

Date: September 19, 1999 · 15:30 local
Place: AK
Phase of flight: Takeoff Ground Roll
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N4257Z
Reported as: Piper PA18150
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,100 total4,000 in this make and model150 in the last 90 days

N4257ZRegistered now · Piper PA-18-150S/N 18-8497 · Built 1967 Airframe modelPiper PA-18-150 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

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.

(-23) The pilot attempted to depart from a very short strip in winds gusting 20 to 25 knots. The aircraft did not have any cargo and only the pilot was on board. The pilot had pushed the aircraft down the runway by hand because of the wind. He did not use all of the take off area because of the wind and his experience only needing a short distance to depart in. During the take off, the wind slacked off and the wing caught some brush on the takeoff area. This caused the aircraft to nose over and bend a motor mount. There was no other damage to the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO DEPART FROM A VERY SHORT STRIP IN WINDS GUSTING 20 TO 25 KNOTS. THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT HAVE ANY CARGO AND ONLY THE PILOT WAS ON BOARD. THE PILOT HAD PUSHED THE AIRCRAFT DOWN THE RUNWAY BY HAND BECAUSE OF THE WIND. HE DID NOT USE ALL OF THE TAKE OFF AREA BECAUSE OF THE WIND AND HIS EXPERIENCE ONLY NEEDING A SHORT DISTANCE TO DEPART IN. DURING THE TAKE OFF, THE WIND SLACKED OFF AND THE WING CAUGHT SOME BRUSH ON THE TAKEOFF AREA. THIS CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO NOSE OVER AND BEND A MOTOR MOUNT. THERE WAS NO OTHER DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT.