# Accident 20030311003649A: Piper PA12, Buena Vista, CO, March 11, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 11, 2003, 12:00 local time
- Place: Buena Vista, CO
- Airport: Buena Vista Municipal Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff Ground Roll
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.8142° N, 106.1208° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.8142&lon=-106.1208&mi=10
- Aircraft: N78559, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N78559) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-12 (registry code 7101202, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA12
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 490 total, 345 in this make and model, 4 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN03LA048](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN03LA048) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030311003649A

## Narrative

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

(-23) THE PILOT STATED HE WAS AWARE OF THE STRONG CROSS WIND CONDITION THAT EXISTED PRIOR TO BEGINNING HIS TAKEOFF. HE SAID HE HELD SHORT OF RUNWAY 15 AND REQUESTED A WIND CHECK FROM THE UNICOM WHICH IS MONITORED BY THE LOCAL FBO WITH A NWS APPROVED ANEMOMETER. THE WIND WAS 24020G25 AND HE CONTINUED TO HOLD WAITING FOR A MORE FAVORABLE WIND. WHEN THE WIND WAS REPORTED AT 21015, HE DETERMINED THAT THE AIRCRAFT COULD HANDLE THE CROSS WIND AND BEGAN TO TAKEOFF. HE STATED THAT JUST AT ROTATION A GUST OF WIND CAUSED HIM TO LOSE DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. THE AIRCRAFT EXITED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND SLID DOWN AN EMBANKMENT DAMAGING THE LEFT WING AND FUSELAGE.

## 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 DEN03LA048](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN03LA048), Mar 11, 2003: Piper PA-12 (N78559), Buena Vista, CO, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. Contributing factors were the crosswind weather condition and gusty wind condition.

## Other reports on N78559 (1)

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

- [Incident 20190612006789I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190612006789I), Jun 12, 2019: Piper PA-12 (N78559), Englewood, CO, Minor damage. On 06/12/2019 at 09:48 MDT, N78559 a Piper PA-12 sustained minor damage during roll out after landing when the aircraft went off the west side of runway 35L…

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.