- Date
- October 19, 1997, 11:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Duxbury, MA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N9614BAviat A-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 15, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19971019046319A
- Case key
- 28261
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain control of the airplane. A related factor was the wind gusts.
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
During taxiing after landing to the west on a private, up-sloping grass field, the pilot added some power to make a 180 degree left turn to park the airplane. As he started the turn with left rudder and left toe brake, a strong wind gust caught the airplane, and the airplane nosed over. He said the winds were from the east at 10 knots with wind gusts to 18 knots. He said there was no mechanical malfunction with the airplane, and the accident could have been prevented, 'by cutting the engine after roll out and turning the aircraft around by hand.'
Factual narrative
On October 19, 1997, at 1130 eastern daylight time, an Aviat Inc. A-1, N9614B, was substantially damaged when it nosed over during taxiing after landing at a private airstrip in Duxbury, Massachusetts. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The local, personal flight originated at Cranland, Massachusetts, and was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, he successfully landed to the west, at a private, upsloping grass field. He said that after roll-out, he added some power to make a 180 degree left turn to park the airplane. As he started the turn with left rudder and left toe brake, a strong gust of wind caught the wing, and the airplane nosed over.
The pilot reported the winds from the east at 10 knots with wind gusts to 18 knots.
The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction with the airplane, and the accident could have been prevented, "by cutting the engine after roll out and turning the aircraft around by hand."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9614B
- Reported as
- Aviat A-1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1176
- Airframe hours
- 717
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360C1G, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James M Horan
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 15, 1997 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- MA02 · Cranland, MA
- Destination
- NONE · MA
- Airport
- NONE, runway 27, 1,000 × 200 ft, grass/turf
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,499 total · 671 in this make and model · 1,499 as pilot in command · 53 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.