19991024037529A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-12 · Orange, MA · October 24, 1999

Date
October 24, 1999 · 10:15 local
Place
Orange, MA
Airport
Orange Municipal
Phase of flight
Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N7811H
Reported as
Piper PA12
Reported engine
Lycoming O235C1B
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
355 total53 in this make and model62 in the last 90 days

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.

(.4) The tailwheel-equipped airplane made an uneventful approach. Upon touchdown, the wind shifted about 50 degrees, and pushed the tail to the left. The airplane then ground-looped to the right, and departed the runway. The active runway was changed to the opposite direction immediately after the accident. (-23)pilot landed on runway 19 with a wind from 260 degrees. Pilot reported a wind came from the right rear. He lost control of the aircraft leaving the runway and striking the left wing into the ground causing substantial damage to the left wing and minor damage to the left elevator.

As the FAA filed it

(.4) THE TAILWHEEL-EQUIPPED AIRPLANE MADE AN UNEVENTFUL APPROACH. UPON TOUCHDOWN, THE WIND SHIFTED ABOUT 50 DEGREES, AND PUSHED THE TAIL TO THE LEFT. THE AIRPLANE THEN GROUND-LOOPED TO THE RIGHT, AND DEPARTED THE RUNWAY. THE ACTIVE RUNWAY WAS CHANGED TO THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE ACCIDENT. (-23)PILOT LANDED ON RUNWAY 19 WITH A WIND FROM 260 DEGREES. PILOT REPORTED A WIND CAME FROM THE RIGHT REAR. HE LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT LEAVING THE RUNWAY AND STRIKING THE LEFT WING INTO THE GROUND CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WING AND MINOR DAMAGE TO THE LEFT ELEVATOR.