- Date
- September 15, 2000, 15:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Moriarty, NM
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1036GTaylorcraft 20
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 19, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000915014419A
- Case key
- 50268
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 prematurely flaring the airplane, resulting in a hard landing, and causing a loss of directional control. Factors were excessive airspeed and 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 landed on runway 8 into a 5 to 8 knot crosswind from the southeast. His airspeed was 'a little fast and [he] dropped the airplane hard on the runway.' It bounced, settled back onto the runway, then veered sharply to the left. Despite full right rudder input, the airplane exited the runway, ground looped to the left, and slid sideways, collapsing the right main landing gear. According to an FAA inspector who examined the accident site, the pilot landed on runway 26.
Factual narrative
On September 15, 2000, approximately 1530 mountain daylight time, a Taylorcraft 20, N1036G, owned and operated by the pilot, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain while landing at Moriarty, New Mexico. The commercial pilot and a commercial certificated flight instructor-passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot did not file a flight plan for this personal cross country flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Grand Canyon, Arizona, approximately 1200.
According to telephone conversations with the pilot and his accident report, he was flying the airplane from Kenai, Alaska, to Florida. He and his passenger had stopped for fuel at Grand Canyon, Arizona, and were en route to Las Vegas, New Mexico, but thunderstorms caused them to divert to Moriarty. The pilot said he landed on runway 8 into a 5 to 8 knot crosswind from the southeast. His airspeed was "a little fast and [he] dropped the airplane hard on the runway." It bounced, settled back onto the runway, then veered sharply to the left. Despite full right rudder input, the airplane exited the runway, ground looped to the left, and slid sideways, collapsing the right main landing gear.
According to an FAA inspector who examined the accident site, the pilot landed on runway 26.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1036G
- Reported as
- Taylorcraft 20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20-036
- Airframe hours
- 747
- Engine
- Continental O-470-J, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lewis E. Witt
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 8, 2000
- Departed
- GCN · Grand Canyon, AZ
- Destination
- 0E0
- Airport
- 0E0 · Moriarty, runway 26, 7,700 × 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
- 44
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 390 total · 35 in this make and model · 313 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CQC, 20 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.