- Date
- October 19, 1995, 15:20 local (22:20 UTC)
- Place
- Crescent City, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6UNPetrik Questair Venture
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 29, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19951019049129A
- Case key
- 29312
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.
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 the aircraft is very short-coupled and tends to oscillate laterally when lightly loaded. Just after touchdown the aircraft began to oscillate and the pilot lost directional control. The aircraft veered off the runway, encountered soft soil, and nosed over.
Factual narrative
On October 19, 1995, at 1520 hours Pacific daylight time, a Petrik Questair Venture homebuilt experimental airplane, N6UN, nosed over in soft soil after veering off runway 29 while landing at Crescent City, California. The aircraft was owned and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft incurred substantial damage. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries. The flight originated at Crescent City on the day of the accident at 1440 as a local area personal flight.
The pilot reported to FAA inspectors that the aircraft is very short coupled and tends to oscillate laterally when lightly loaded. Just after touchdown on runway 29 the aircraft began to oscillate and the pilot lost directional control. The aircraft veered off the runway, encountered soft soil, and nosed over. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions of the aircraft.
According to FAA medical records, the pilot's third-class medical certificate was issued on the basis of a medical flight test due to the amputation of his left arm. The pilot reported that his recency of experience consisted of 23 hours in the previous 90-day period and 2 hours in the previous 30-day period.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6UN
- Reported as
- Petrik Questair Venture (QUESTAIR V)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 40
- Airframe hours
- 240
- Engine
- Continental IO-550-61B, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gene J. Petrik
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- CEC
- Airport
- CEC · Mcnamara Field, runway 29, 5,002 × 150 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
- 66
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 240 in this make and model · 2,935 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CEC
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 N6UN · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.