- Date
- May 6, 2019, 07:40 local (11:40 UTC)
- Place
- Canandaigua, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7046KPiper PA 20
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 3, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190506004079A
- Case key
- 99517
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 landing, which resulted in a ground loop.
Findings · 2
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 of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during landing, the left wing raised, and the airplane "violently turned left." The pilot attempted to recover, but the airplane ground looped and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, right wing lift strut, and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during landing, the left wing raised and the airplane "violently turned left." The pilot attempted to recover, but the airplane ground looped and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, right wing lift strut, and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the wind was variable at 11 knots, gusting to 15 knots. The nearest automated weather observation station, located 20 miles northwest, reported that, about 14 minutes after the accident, the wind was 230° at 3 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 31.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7046K
- Reported as
- Piper PA 20 (Undesignat)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20-154
- Built
- 1950
- Airframe hours
- 2,758
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290 SERIES, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 16, 2018
- Departed
- NY49 · Niagara Falls, NY
- Destination
- IUA · Canandaigua, NY
- Airport
- IUA · Canandaigua, runway 31, 5,500 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- 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
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 11, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,091 total · 5 in this make and model · 1,083 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 0.8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 18,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- KROC, 20 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 26, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.0 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.