- Date
- March 4, 1995, 11:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Greeley, CO
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N951BWSchmanski Kitfox III
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 18, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950304003029A
- Case key
- 19364
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 a sudden wind shift.
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 took off and remained in the traffic pattern. The landing approach was normal and the touch down was on the runway centerline but, according to the pilot, the airplane bounced due to a rear quartering tailwind shear. The pilot said he applied full power in an attempt to abort the landing, but the wind forced the airplane into the side of a hangar.
Factual narrative
On March 4, 1995, at 1115 mountain standard time, a Schmanski Kitfox III, N951BW, was destroyed during an aborted landing at Greeley, Colorado. The commercial pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight.
The following is based on the pilot/operator report: The pilot took off and remained in the traffic pattern. The landing approach was normal and the touch down was on the runway centerline but the airplane bounced due to a "rear quarter shear." The pilot applied full power in an attempt to go around, but the gusts continued taking the aircraft to the right of the runway and blew it into the hangar. Witness statements corroborated the pilot's report.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N951BW
- Reported as
- Schmanski Kitfox III
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 951
- Airframe hours
- 125
- Engine
- Rotax 582 UL, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Schmanski, Wm. C./Bernard T.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 9, 1994 · 9 hours before
- Departed
- GXY
- Destination
- GXY · CO
- Airport
- GXY · Greeley-Weld County, runway 9, 6,200 × 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
- 64
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 651 total · 63 in this make and model · 523 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GXY
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.