# Accident 20000805039179A: Piper PA18, Westhampton Bea, NY, August 5, 2000

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 5, 2000, 10:00 local time
- Place: Westhampton Bea, NY
- Airport: The Francis S Gabreski Airport
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.8305° N, 72.6491° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.8305&lon=-72.6491&mi=10
- Aircraft: N17080, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N17080) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-18 (registry code 7101802, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA18
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC00LA220](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC00LA220) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000805039179A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON AUGUST 5, 2000, ABOUT 1000 EDT, A PIPER PA-18, N17080, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHILE MAKING AN EMERGENCY LANDING AT FRANCIS S. GABRESKI AIRPORT (FOK). WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY. THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE LOCAL BANNER-TOW FLIGHT CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED FOK ABOUT 0950 AND PICKED UP A BANNER SEVERAL MINUTES LATER. THE PILOT STATE THAT WHEN HE PICKED UP THE BANNER, THE TOW ROPE BECAME ENTANGLED AROUND THE AIRPLANE'S RUDDER HORN. WHEN HE REALIZED THE RUDDER WAS JAMMED AND THE BANNER WOULD NOT RELEASE, HE RETURNED TO FOK FOR LANDING. HE MAINTAINED A STEEP DESCENT ANGLE IN AN ATTEMPT TO LAND ON THE RUNWAY BEFORE THE BANNER STRUCK THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE LANDED HARD, AND THE MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED.

## 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 NYC00LA220](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC00LA220), Aug 5, 2000: Piper PA-18 (N17080), Westhampton, NY, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate flare during the landing. Factors were the entanglement of the tow rope with the rudder horn, and restricted rudder movement.

## Other reports on N17080 (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19790526011609A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19790526011609A), May 26, 1979: Piper PA18 (N17080), Ft Lauderdale, FL, Substantial damage. Towing banner. Exhausted fuel from one tank. Switched to other. Engine quit. Ditched aircraft. Vent cap clogged.

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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