- Date
- March 29, 2001, 10:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Holbrook, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9299DPiper PA18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 15, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20010329005579A
- Case key
- 51996
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 rudder lower hinge attach point resulting in a loss of rudder control and steerable tailwheel control. A factor was the crosswind condition.
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 lost directional control after landing and the airplane veered off the runway to the right coming to rest on the nose. He reported a left crosswind of about 10 knots. The pilot also reported that the lower rudder hinge point had separated from the vertical tail post. The steerable tail wheel is attached to the rudder horns near that hinge. As a result of the failure of the lower rudder hinge point, both rudder control and tail wheel steering were lost, resulting in the pilot's inability to maintain direction control.
Factual narrative
On March 29, 2001, about 1030 hours mountain standard time, a Piper PA18-150, N9299D, was substantially damaged during landing rollout at Holbrook, Arizona. The private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight, operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan was filed. The flight originated at Buckeye, Arizona, on the morning of the accident, and was destined for Farmington, New Mexico, with a stop at Holbrook.
The pilot reported that when he landed on runway 21 the wind was out of the east about 10 knots. During touchdown the airplane immediately veered right 90 degrees, and exited the runway into sage brush coming to rest on the nose. No official weather was available for the location.
The pilot also reported that the lower rudder hinge point had separated from the vertical tail post. The steerable tail wheel is attached to the rudder horns near that hinge. Pictures of the failure were included in the pilot's report.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9299D
- Reported as
- Piper PA18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-660600
- Airframe hours
- 2,577
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A3P, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Charles A. Cook
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 16, 2001 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- BXK · Buckeye, AZ
- Destination
- P14 · Holbrook, AZ
- Airport
- P14 · Holbrook Municipal, runway 21, 6,740 × 75 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
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2000
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 485 total · 100 in this make and model · 485 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.50 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N9299D · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.