- Date
- May 25, 2019, 11:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Cody, WY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N997CCPiper PA18
- Defining event
- Landing: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 17, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190525005129A
- Case key
- 99494
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 student pilot's improper landing flare in crosswind conditions, which resulted in a bounced landing, and his subsequent loss of airplane control after overcorrecting with rudder. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's delayed remedial action, which resulted in a nose-over.
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 student pilot reported that, during the instructional flight, he was practicing stop-and-go landings. On his second landing, while on short final, the glidepath was lower than normal, and he increased the power setting to extend the glide. After the airplane crossed the runway threshold, he flared slightly high and leveled the airplane to keep it from sinking too fast. The airplane bounced slightly on touchdown, and he overcorrected with rudder inputs due to a crosswind. The airplane rolled forward, and the tail began to rise. The flight instructor reported that, at this point, he took over control of the airplane and applied back stick pressure; however, the airflow was too slow over the elevator flight control surface to have effect, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The left-wing lift strut and rudder were substantially damaged. The student and instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The student pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, during the instructional flight, he was practicing stop and go landings. On his second landing, while on short final, the glide path was lower than normal, and he increased the power setting to extend the glide. After crossing the runway threshold, he flared slightly high and leveled the airplane to keep from sinking too fast. The airplane bounced slightly on touchdown, and he overcorrected with rudder inputs due to a crosswind. The airplane rolled forward and the tail began to rise. The flight instructor reported that at this point he took over control, and applied back stick pressure, however, the airflow was to slow over the elevator flight control surface to have effect and the airplane nosed over coming to rest inverted on the runway. The left-wing lift strut and rudder were substantially damaged. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N997CC
- Reported as
- Piper PA18 (150)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 9915CC
- Built
- 2000
- Airframe hours
- 1,370
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-C1G, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Hoodoo Land Holdings LLC
- Registered owner
- Hunt Oil Co.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 16, 2019
- Departed
- COD · Cody, WY
- Destination
- COD · Cody, WY
- Airport
- COD · Yellowstone Rgnl, runway 22, 8,268 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 140 total · 140 in this make and model · 4 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 5, 2017
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 8,167 total · 215 in this make and model · 8,036 as pilot in command · 47 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- KCOD
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 26, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.1 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.