- Date
- May 4, 1999, 10:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Collins, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N6563HPiper J3C-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990504004569A
- Case key
- 46211
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 inadequate compensation for wind conditions. A factor was the gusty wind conditions.
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 that the wind was from 290 degrees at 10 knots with gusts to 20 knots 'or less.' After completing the pre-takeoff checklist, the pilot turned the airplane 360 degrees to check for traffic before taxiing onto the active runway. When the airplane had made a 180 degree turn (tail directly into the wind), an 'unexpected strong gust of wind' lifted the tail and the airplane nosed down. Another wind gust caused the airplane to nose over onto its back.
Factual narrative
On May 4, 1999, approximately 1000 mountain daylight time, a Piper J3C-65, N6563H, owned by Cub Air, LLC, and operated by The Pilot Center, was substantially damaged when it nosed down while turning at Downtown Airpark, Fort Collins, Colorado. The commercial pilot and his passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local personal flight that was to be conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight had not yet originated.
The pilot said the wind was from 290 degrees at 10 knots with gusts to 20 knots "or less." After completing the pre-takeoff checklist, the pilot turned the airplane 360 degrees to check for traffic before taxiing onto the active runway. When the airplane had made a 180 degree turn (tail directly into the wind), an "unexpected strong gust of wind" lifted the tail and the airplane nosed down. Another wind gust caused the airplane to nose over onto its back.
At 0955, five minutes before the accident, the following weather observation was recorded at Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport (FNL), located 11 miles south of the Fort Collins-Downtown Airpark: Wind, 290 degrees at 14 knots, gusts to 21 knots; sky condition, clear; visibility greater than 10 miles; temperature 11 degrees C. (51.8 degrees F.); dew point -4 degrees C. (24.8 degrees F.); altimeter, 29.37 inches of mercury.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6563H
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 19755
- Airframe hours
- 1,700
- Engine
- Continental A75-8, 75 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- The Pilot Center
- Registered owner
- Cub Air, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 10, 1999 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- 3V5
- Airport
- 3V5 · Fort Collins Downtown, runway 29, 4,699 × 48 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
- 31
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 4,088 total · 130 in this make and model · 4,006 as pilot in command · 174 in the last 90 days · 62 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 14 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FNL, 11 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.