- Date
- June 4, 1990, 11:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Douglas, WY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4720APiper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900604018399A
- Case key
- 17940
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 accident to be improper installation of aileron control system by maintenance personnel, and failure to perform an aircraft preflight by the pilot in command.
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 airplane had been completely recovered with new fabric and the pilot was going to ferry it back to his ranch. Witnesses said the pilot did not perform a preflight check. The airplane took off, climbed to an altitude of 15 to 30 feet, then banked steeply to the right and crashed. Examination of the flight control system disclosed the aileron control cables had been inadvertently crossed during reassembly.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4720A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-4941
- Airframe hours
- 3,078
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Norman Ranch Company
- Registered owner
- Norman Ranch Co.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1990
- Departed
- DGW
- Destination
- NONE · Rozet, WY
- Airport
- DGW · Converse County, runway 28, 6,750 × 100 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
- 67
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 3,823 total · 30 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 32 knots, gusting 37
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CPR, 48 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 N4720A · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.