- Date
- July 18, 1997, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Stephen, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9054WWeatherly 201C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 29, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970718019069A
- Case key
- 10636
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 exceeding the design stress limits of the aircraft. A factor was the 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
The pilot said he made a wheel landing on runway 17 with a crosswind from the left at 5 knots, gusting to 12 knots. He said that during the landing, the right main landing gear collapsed. An inspection of the airplane after the accident revealed no preexisting anomaly, and the right main gear collapsed from what appeared to be a side load.
Factual narrative
On July 19, 1997, at 1030 central daylight time, a Weatherly 201C, N9054W, operated by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage during rollout on landing on runway 17 (2700' x 60' dry/asphalt) near Stephen, Minnesota. The 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was on file. The local flight departed at 1000.
The pilot said that he made a wheel landing and that during rollout the right main landing gear collapsed. He said that there was a crosswind from 110 degrees at 5 knots with gusts to 12 knots.
An inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration said that he inspected the airplane and found no preexisting anomalies with the airplane. He stated that the failure appeared to him to be from a side load applied to the landing gear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9054W
- Reported as
- Weatherly 201C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1022
- Engine
- P&W R-985-14B, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Curtis H. Larson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- D41
- Airport
- D41 · Stephen Municipal, runway 17, 2,700 × 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
- 35
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,805 total · 784 in this make and model · 1,757 as pilot in command · 144 in the last 90 days · 137 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 5 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
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 N9054W · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.