- Date
- September 4, 2011, 17:08 local (23:08 UTC)
- Place
- Monte Vista, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5934ZPiper PA-22-108
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 16, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110904020889A
- Case key
- 81947
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
The student pilot's loss of control while landing, which resulted in a ground loop.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The student pilot stated that he thought that a gust of wind caught the tailwheel-equipped airplane just before touchdown, resulting in the right main landing gear wheel hitting the runway hard, which drove the wheel hub up into the strut. The airplane ground looped and nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the right wing. After the accident, the pilot stated that, if he had recognized the wind gust sooner, he could have initiated a go-around. He also reported that, if he had known that the wheel hub broke during touchdown, he would have increased the throttle to keep the front of the airplane elevated.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was practicing landings in his tail wheeled airplane. The wind was calm and the first eight landings were normal. On the ninth landing, the pilot thought that a gust of wind caught the airplane just before touch down, resulting in the right wheel hitting the runway hard which drove the wheel hub up into the strut. The airplane subsequently ground looped and flipped over inverted. After the accident, the pilot stated that if he would have recognized the wind gust sooner, he could have initiated a go-around. He also reported that if he would have known that the wheel hub broke, he would have increased the throttle to keep the front of the airplane elevated. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5934Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-108
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-9804
- Airframe hours
- 3,360
- Engine
- Lycoming 0-235 SERIES, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ensz Weston L
- Registered owner
- Ensz Weston L
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 20, 2011
- Departed
- MVI · Monte Vista, CO
- Destination
- MVI · Monte Vista, CO
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- MVI · Monte Vista Municipal, runway 20, 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
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 132 total · 32 in this make and model · 8 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 16, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.8 MB in all.
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 N5934Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.