CHI96LA161

After landing with a 40 degree crosswind, the pilot allowed the airplane to drift left off the runway, so he could turn back into the wind and back-taxi on the runway. He then saw a runway light ahead and maneuvered the airplane farther left to avoid the light. Shortly after that, the airplane entered a ditch. The airplane's nose wheel then sank in soft terrain, and the airplane nosed over.

On May 19, 1996, at 1045 central daylight time (cdt), a Piper PA- 22, N8943D, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it nosed over following a loss of directional control during landing roll at Maryville Rankin Airport, Maryville, Missouri. The pilot reported no injuries. The business 14 CFR Part 91 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was on file. The flight departed Saint Joseph, Missouri, at 1020 cdt.

According to the pilot's written statement, he used the wind direction and speed from the departing airport (at the time of the accident, Saint Joseph Automatic Weather Observation Station reported winds from 190 degrees at 20 knots with gusts to 28 knots) as a guide for planning his approach to his destination airport. He stated that the wind direction had actually changed to a more westerly direction then he was expecting it to be. After landing on runway 17, he stated "...the aircraft wanted to drift off the left side of the runway. I should have held it on the runway, but wrongly assumed it would be no problem to drift over into the grass and then make a right turn into the wind and back onto the runway to back-taxi. I did not realize that there was a runway light coming up. I drifted farther left to go outside the runway light... ." The pilot did not notice an open ditch in front of the airplane. The airplane's nose wheel entered soft terrain and the airplane nosed over.