- Date
- October 8, 2020, 15:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Plymouth, MA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8788DPiper PA18
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20201008017929A
- Case key
- 102122
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 failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll with a quartering gusting headwind.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot was landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane on runway 24 with a quartering headwind from the northwest gusting to 20 knots. During the landing roll, the flight encountered wind gusts from the northwest that caused the airplane to “weathercock” to the northwest and the pilot applied full engine power to go around. When the airplane was about 1 ft above ground level, the right main landing gear impacted a taxi light. The airplane then contacted the ground and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8788D
- Reported as
- Piper PA18 (150)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-6325
- Built
- 1958
- Airframe hours
- 3,850.5
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public aircraft - local · Public use
- Operator
- County Of Plymouth
- Registered owner
- County Of Plymouth
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 5, 2020 · 29.3 hours before
- Airport
- PYM · Plymouth Municipal Airport, runway 24, 4,350 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Handheld GPS
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
- 54
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 24, 2020
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,039.7 total · 31.6 in this make and model · 2,039.7 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 13 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 17 °F, dew point -1 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.84 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- PYM, 1 nm away
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 20, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.