20111013024869I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-18-150 · Sandy Lake, AK · October 13, 2011

Date: October 13, 2011 · 13:00 local
Place: Sandy Lake, AK
Airport: Sandy Lake
Phase of flight: Ground/Ramp/Ma
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N624MW
Reported as: Piper PA-18-150
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,400 total3,348 in this make and model100 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.

A/c was tied down due to inclement wx. The a/c broke loose from a root ball that the pilot had secured it to. The pilot attempted to push the a/c around to another spot however the winds were too strong for him to move it by himself. Pilot attempted to taxi the a/c to a spot to secure it, when a gust of wind caught the right wing tip and lifted the a/c off the ground. When the a/c dropped the left wing and tail struck the ground, and the gear was damaged. Pictures show damage to the gear, wings and tail section of the a/c, indicative of the events the pilot described. NTSB classified this as an incident as there was no intent to fly the a/c.

As the FAA filed it

A/C WAS TIED DOWN DUE TO INCLEMENT WX. THE A/C BROKE LOOSE FROM A ROOT BALL THAT THE PILOT HAD SECURED IT TO. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO PUSH THE A/C AROUND TO ANOTHER SPOT HOWEVER THE WINDS WERE TOO STRONG FOR HIM TO MOVE IT BY HIMSELF. PILOT ATTEMPTED TO TAXI THE A/C TO A SPOT TO SECURE IT, WHEN A GUST OF WIND CAUGHT THE RIGHT WING TIP AND LIFTED THE A/C OFF THE GROUND. WHEN THE A/C DROPPED THE LEFT WING AND TAIL STRUCK THE GROUND, AND THE GEAR WAS DAMAGED. PICTURES SHOW DAMAGE TO THE GEAR, WINGS AND TAIL SECTION OF THE A/C, INDICATIVE OF THE EVENTS THE PILOT DESCRIBED. NTSB CLASSIFIED THIS AS AN INCIDENT AS THERE WAS NO INTENT TO FLY THE A/C.