- Date
- November 1, 1998, 12:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mason, MI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N5908DPiper PA-22-20-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 16, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19981101031039A
- Case key
- 45182
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
was the pilot not maintaining control of the airplane. A factor in this accident was the pilots lack of total experience in the airplane.
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 the tail wheel-equipped airplane began yawing to the left as he brought the airplane onto its main landing gear during takeoff. He said he over corrected with right rudder and then left rudder. The pilot said a yaw oscillation followed and the airplane departed the runway's left edge. Shortly after departing the runway's edge, the airplane's right main gear tire dug into the ground. The airplane ground-looped to the right and came to a stop on its right wing tip and nose. The pilot said he had 19-hours total time in the airplane and about 255-hours in a tail wheel-equipped home built airplane that was similar to the accident airplane except with about half the horse power.
Factual narrative
On November 1, 1998, at 1200 eastern standard time (est), a Piper PA-22-20-150, N5908D, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged during a ground loop event that occurred while on the initial takeoff roll. The airplane was taking off on runway 09 (3,503' X 75' dry asphalt) at the Mason-Jewett Field, Mason, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating on a flight plan. The pilot and passenger reported no injuries. The flight was departing Mason, Michigan, at 1200 est.
The pilot said the airplane began yawing to the left as he brought it onto its main gear for takeoff. He said he over- corrected with right rudder and the airplane yawed rapidly to the right and then over-corrected to the left. According to the pilot, he caused the airplane to occillate about its yaw axis due to another over-correction. The airplane departed the runway's left edge into the grass and ground looped to the left. The pilot said "The right wheel dug into the soil on the left side of the runway and the airplane tipped up... ."
The pilot said he may have applied too much right rudder as he brought the airplane onto its main landing gear. According to the pilot, he had 19-hours in the accident airplane. He said he had about 255-hours in a homebuilt tail wheel airplane that was about the same size as the accident airplane. He said the experimental airplane had a 70-HP engine on it. The accident airplane was equipped with a 150 horse power engine. The pilot said he had about 1-hour of dual instruction in N5908D before flying it as pilot-in-command.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5908D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-20-150 (PA-22-20-1)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-4570
- Airframe hours
- 2,033
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Charles H. Downey
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 7, 1998 · 47 hours before
- Departed
- TEW
- Destination
- TEW
- Airport
- TEW · Mason-Jewett Airport, runway 9, 3,503 × 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
- 58
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 426 total · 19 in this make and model · 358 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TEW, 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.
Other investigations on N5908D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.