# NTSB CHI01LA105: Piper PA-18-150, N3947Z, Sidney, NE, March 16, 2001 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: March 16, 2001, 12:55 local (19:55 UTC) - Place: Sidney, NE - Coordinates: 41.130851, -102.97039 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.1309&lon=-102.9704&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 23, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION - NTSB case key (mKey): 51947 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI01LA105 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/51947/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI01LA105 ## Probable cause the pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing. A factor relating to this accident was the berm. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - flare/touchdown - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - berm (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot made a 3-point landing on runway 12. The airplane "rolled solid on all 3 wheels for approximately 30-50 feet ... when [a] gust of wind picked up the mains (main landing gear)." The pilot momentarily applied full power and brought the airplane to a level attitude. The airplane then contacted the runway in a left-to-right drift. The pilot said he reapplied full power as the airplane drifted. The rotation to the right stopped with the airplane approximately 80 degrees to the runway. The pilot said he continued with full power in an attempt to fly away level. The airplane contacted a 3-foot high berm which caused the airplane to bounce into a nose high attitude. The pilot said he pushed the nose over and contacted the ground. An examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies. The wind conditions reported at the time of the accident were 150 degrees at 10 knots, gusts to 15 knots. ## Factual narrative On March 16, 2001, at 1255 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-18-150, N3947Z, operated by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage during a full stop landing on runway 12 (6,600 feet by 100 feet, dry asphalt) at the Sidney Municipal Airport, Sidney, Nebraska, when it departed the runway and struck a berm. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and passenger on board the airplane reported no injuries. The cross-country flight originated at the Greeley-Weld County Airport, Greeley, Colorado, at 1120, and was en route to Sidney, Nebraska. In his written statement, the pilot said that he made a 3-point landing on runway 12. The airplane "rolled solid on all 3 wheels for approximately 30-50 feet ... when [a] gust picked up [the] mains (main landing gear)." The pilot said he momentarily applied full power raising the airplane to a level attitude. The airplane contacted the runway in a left-to-right drift. The pilot said he reapplied full power as the airplane drifted. The rotation to the right stopped with the airplane approximately 80 degrees to the runway. The pilot said he continued with full power in an attempt to fly away level. The airplane contacted a 3-foot high berm which caused the airplane to bounce into a nose high attitude. The pilot said he pushed the nose over and contacted the ground. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane at the accident site. The airplane was resting upright on the south side of a dirt berm approximately 78 yards southwest of the runway's right edge. Preceding the airplane's location were tire marks that began on the runway and veered off the right edge, southwest until reaching the berm. The airplane's left wing was bent upward and aft. The left wingtip was folded upward. The left wing's rear spar and two ribs were bent aft. Two of the left main landing gear's upper support braces were broken. Flight control continuity was confirmed. No anomalies were found with the airplane's engine, engine controls or other systems. At 1253, the Routine Aviation Weather Report for the Sidney Municipal Airport was clear skies, 10 miles visibility, temperature 39 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 23 degrees F, winds 150 degrees at 10 knots, gusts to 15 knots, and altimeter 29.99 inches of Mercury. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N3947Z](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3947Z), registered now, S/N 18-7805, built 1962 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-18-150 - Registry model: [Piper PA-18-150](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-18-150) (registry code 7101828) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18-7805 - Airframe hours: 2160 - Engines: Lycoming O-320 150 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Rodney D. Brown - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, January 1, 2001, 32 hours before - Departed: GXY, GREELEY, CO - Destination: SNY, SIDNEY, NE - Airport: SNY, Sidney Municipal Airport, runway 12, 6,600 × 100 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 38; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review December 7, 2000; seat: front; flight hours: 375 total, 63 in this make and model, 273 as pilot in command, 42 in the last 90 days, 15 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 150° at 10 knots, gusting 18 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 39 °F, dew point 23 °F - Altimeter: 29.98 inHg - Observed at: SNY, 1 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20010316004569A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010316004569A), Mar 16, 2001: Piper PA18150, Sidney, NE, No damage. (-23) Pilot was landing with 10 m.p.h. winds @150, gusts of 18, on runway 12 @sny. The a/c touched down at approx. 1000 feet on all three points when the nose… 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. --- 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.