- Date
- July 20, 2001, 12:57 local (20:57 UTC)
- Place
- Anchorage, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5280HPiper PA-16
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 20, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA-AL-ANC FSDO 03
- FAA report
- 20010720039839A
- Case key
- 52805
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
An inadvertent ground loop during the landing roll.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot was landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane, and during the landing roll, the airplane ground looped to the right. The left main landing gear axle fractured and the left wing struck the runway. The left wing was buckled upward about 15 degrees, just outboard of the wing lift strut attach point. The leading edge at the outboard end of the left elevator was crushed aft and buckled upward.
Factual narrative
On July 20, 2001, at 1257 Alaska daylight time, a wheel-equipped Piper PA-16 airplane, N5280H, sustained substantial damage during landing on runway 33, at Merrill Field, Anchorage, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) business flight when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot. The commercial certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), was notified of the accident by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control personnel at the Merrill Field tower. Tower personnel reported the airplane was landing on runway 33, and appeared to ground loop to the right. The airplane's left main landing gear assembly appeared to be broken, and the left wing struck the runway. The airplane was disabled on the runway.
On July 23, the NTSB IIC inspected the airplane at Merrill Field. The visual inspection of the airplane revealed that the left wing was buckled upward about 15 degrees, just outboard of the wing lift strut attach point. The leading edge at the outboard end of the left elevator was crushed aft and buckled upward. The left main landing gear axle was fractured.
At 1253, an Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) was reporting in part: Wind, 320 degrees (true) at 4 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; clouds and sky condition, few at 1,500 feet, 6,000 feet overcast; temperature, 63 degrees F; dew point, 57 degrees F; altimeter, 29.87 inHg.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5280H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-16
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 16-84
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290, 135 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Roland G. Elledge
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Pt. Possession, AK
- Destination
- PAMR · Anchorage, AK
- Airport
- PAMR · Merrill Field, runway 33, 2,640 × 75 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 72
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 295° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- PAMR
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N5280H · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.