- Date
- June 26, 1989, 10:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Durango, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4137ZPiper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890626017589A
- Case key
- 17730
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 failed to maintain directional control, which resulted in an inadvertent groundloop/swerve. A factor related to the accident was: the adverse wind condition.
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 a glider tow flt, the plt took off to the south. After releasing the glider, he returned & landed to the north with a 5 kt quartering tailwind. As he was landing, the acft veered right. The plt overcorrected to the left & the plane turned sharply left, then the right wing struck the ground & was damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4137Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8209
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Lavern D. St Clair, doing business as Val Air Soaring
- Departed
- CD82
- Destination
- CD82
- Airport
- CD82 · Val Air, runway 36, 3,100 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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
- 63
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 4,658 total · 118 in this make and model · 4,400 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °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 N4137Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.