- Date
- October 18, 2011, 10:05 local (15:05 UTC)
- Place
- Brookings, SD
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8485DPiper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 13, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration, Rapid City FSDO
- FAA report
- 20111018023689A
- Case key
- 82107
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 pilot's inadequate compensation for gusty wind conditions while landing.
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 pilot reported that the airplane encountered a wind gust during the landing roll, which lifted the left wing and caused the airplane to swerve to the right. The pilot responded with the application of full engine power to initiate an aborted landing, but the airplane encountered another wind gust that further lifted the left wing and caused the right wing to impact the ground. The airplane subsequently came to rest in a field next to the runway. The airplane's engine firewall, wings, and fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded the normal operation of the airplane.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that the tailwheel equipped airplane encountered a wind gust during landing rollout on runway 35, which lifted the left wing and caused the airplane to swerve to the right. The pilot responded with the application of full engine power to initiate an aborted landing, but the airplane encountered another wind gust that further lifted the left wing and caused the right wing to impact the ground. The airplane subsequently came to rest in a field situated alongside the runway. The airplane's engine firewall, wings, and fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded the normal operation of the airplane. The airport's weather station reported that the wind was from the north-northwest at 15 knots, gusting to 24 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8485D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-6203
- Airframe hours
- 723
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 9, 2011 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- KFSD · Sioux Falls, SD
- Destination
- KBKX · Brookings, SD
- Airport
- KBKX · Brookings Regional Airport, runway 35, 3,599 × 60 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
- 58
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 6, 2011
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 594 total · 11 in this make and model · 549 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 15 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- KBKX
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 31, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.1 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.