- Date
- April 6, 2000, 19:30 local (Apr 7, 2000, 02:30 UTC)
- Place
- Herlong, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N180BCPiper PA-24
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report July 17, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000406006009A
- Case key
- 48901
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 failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing in gusting crosswind conditions.
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 reported that during the landing rollout, while at about 50 mph, a strong gust of wind hit him from the left. The airplane veered to the right off the runway, then continued through a metal fence and into a field. There was damage to the left wing, aileron, and landing gear. The pilot reported that the winds at the airport at the time of the accident were from the southwest at 25 to 35 knots, gusting to 35 knots and higher. According to the manufacturer, there is no published maximum crosswind component for the PA-24.
Factual narrative
On April 6, 2000, at 1930 hours Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-24, N180BC, veered off the runway and impacted a metal fence after landing at the Herlong, California, airport. The airplane, owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The private pilot was not injured. The personal cross-country flight, conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, had originated in Creswell, Oregon, about 1800, and was terminating at the time of the accident. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported that after flying over the airport to check the wind conditions, he performed a normal landing to runway 24. During the landing rollout, while at about 50 mph, a strong gust of wind hit him from the left. The airplane veered to the right off the runway, then continued through a metal fence and into a field. There was damage to the left wing, aileron, and landing gear.
The pilot reported that the winds at Herlong at the time of the accident were from the southwest at 25 to 35 knots, gusting to 35 knots and higher.
According to the manufacturer, there is no published maximum crosswind component for the PA-24.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N180BC
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-1233
- Airframe hours
- 4,700
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert L. Crum
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 12, 2000 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- 77S · Creswell, OR
- Destination
- Q73
- Airport
- Q73 · Herlong, runway 24, 3,260 × 40 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
- 72
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,600 total · 2,380 in this make and model · 7 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 250° at 16 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RNO, 47 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.