# Accident 20000226029909A: Piper PA18, New Ulm, TX, February 26, 2000

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 26, 2000, 16:45 local time
- Place: New Ulm, TX
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.8698° N, 96.4893° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.8698&lon=-96.4893&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8967C, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8967C-2000-09-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-18 (registry code 7101802, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA18
- Reported engine: LYC O290*
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 8,000 total, 300 in this make and model, 50 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW00LA086](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW00LA086) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000226029909A

## Narrative

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

(.4)ON FEBRUARY 26, 2000, AT 1630 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, A PIPER PA-18, TAIL-WHEEL EQUIPPED AIRPLANE, N8967C, STRUCK A FENCE AND TREES DURING AN ABORTED LANDING NEAR NEW ULM, TEXAS. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT RATED PILOT, SOLE OCCUPANT, RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES, AND THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE AIRPLANE WAS OWNED BY HARRISON INTERESTS LTD. OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED FOR THE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT DEPARTED THE MIKESKA FIELD AIRPORT, BROOKSHIRE, TEXAS, APPROXIMATELY 1600. DURING A TELEPHONE INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY THE NTSB INVESTIGATOR-IN-CHARGE, AND ON A WRITTEN STATEMENT, THE 8,000-HOUR PILOT REPORTED THAT HIS DESTINATION WAS A PRIVATE GRASS AIRSTRIP LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 4 MILES SOUTH OF NEW ULM, TEXAS. UPON ARRIVAL, THE PILOT FLEW THE AIRPLANE OVER THE 4,200 FOOT AIRSTRIP AND NOTED THAT THE WIND WAS 90 DEGREES TO THE RUNWAY AT 10 TO 12 KNOTS. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHEN THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED BELOW THE TREE HEIGHT, THE AIRPLANE "FLOATED MORE THAN EXPECTED AND WHEN I TOUCHED DOWN, THE SURFACE OF THE STRIP HAD GOPHER MOOUND MAKING AIRCRAFT BRAKING INEFFECTIVE SO I ADDED POWER TO ABORT THE LANDING. THE AIRCRAFT SEEMED TO BE IN A DOWNDRAFT AND WAS HESITANT TO FLY, BUT I WAS COMMITTED AT THIS POINT AND CONTINUED." THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A BARBED WIRE FENCE AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND THE PROPELLER BECAME ENTANGLED WITH THE FENCE. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED TO CLIMB TO THE HEIGHT OF THE TREETOPS AND "LOST POWER". SUBSEQUENTLY, THE MAIN LANDING GEAR STRUCK THE TREES CAUSING THE AIRPLANE TO NOSE OVER AND COME TO REST IN A BRUSH PILE. ACCORDING TO A FAA INSPECTOR WHO RESPONDED TO THE ACCIDENT SITE, THE WINGS, EMPENNAGE, AND FIREWALL WERE SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. (-23)SEE PTRS NARRATIVE FTW00LA086

## 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 FTW00LA086](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW00LA086), Feb 26, 2000: Piper PA-18 (N8967C), New Ulm, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with a fence during the aborted landing.

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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