- Date
- April 27, 2003, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Romeoville, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N97930Stinson 108-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 25, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration - DuPage FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030427020089A
- Case key
- 56943
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 not maintaining directional control during the landing rollout. A factor to the accident was the gusting crosswind.
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
During the landing rollout the airplane encountered a wind gust that caused the airplane to weather vane. The pilot was unable to maintain directional control, which resulted in the airplane departing the runway. The aircraft was landing on runway 27 and the reported winds were 200 degrees magnetic at 15 knots with gusts to 21 knots.
Factual narrative
On April 27, 2003, at 1700 central daylight time, a Stinson 108-1, N97930, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage following a loss of directional control while landing on runway 27 (5,697 feet by 75 feet, dry/asphalt) at the Lewis University Airport (LOT), Romeoville, Illinois. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The local flight departed LOT at 1600 and was landing at the time of the accident.
According to the pilot's written statement, when he was 5 miles from LOT he requested the current weather conditions over the Unicom frequency. The pilot reported he was told the winds were 180 degrees magnetic at 6-8 mph with gusts to 10 mph. The pilot stated he landed on runway 27 and during the landing rollout "a strong gust of wind started to weather vane the [aircraft] to the left." The pilot reported he applied right rudder, right brake, and retracted the flaps. The pilot stated the airplane continued to veer to the left, departing the runway surface. The right main landing gear collapsed, causing substantial damage to the airplane.
A weather observation station, located at LOT, recorded the weather around the time of the accident as:
Observation Time: 1705 cdt
Wind: 200 degrees magnetic at 15 knots, Gusts 21 knots
Visibility: 10 statute miles
Sky Condition: Sky Clear
Temperature: 25 degrees Celsius
Dew Point: 02 degrees Celsius
Pressure: 29.90 inches of mercury
Aircraft
- Registration
- N97930
- Reported as
- Stinson 108-1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 108-930
- Airframe hours
- 1,933
- Engine
- Franklin 6A-150-B3, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 16, 2003 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- LOT · Romeoville, IL
- Destination
- LOT · Romeoville, IL
- Airport
- LOT · Lewis University Airport, runway 27, 5,697 × 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
- 38
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- November 7, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 600 total · 480 in this make and model · 600 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 15 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
- Observed at
- LOT
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.