# NTSB LAX99LA171: Widner RV-3A, N5287U, Casa Grande, AZ, May 6, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 6, 1999, 15:50 local (22:50 UTC) - Place: Casa Grande, AZ - Location: 32.9549° N, 111.7668° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at CASA GRANDE MUNI (CGZ), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.9549&lon=-111.7668&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report December 5, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 46262 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX99LA171 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/46262/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99LA171 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate compensation for the existing crosswind condition and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff roll. The pilot's distraction in looking for the aircraft which announced an intention to land in the opposite direction was a factor in the accident. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, takeoff - roll/run - weather condition - crosswind - compensation for wind conditions - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - diverted attention, pilot in command (contributing factor) - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - ground loop/swerve - not corrected, pilot in command (cause) - Nose over, takeoff - roll/run ## Analysis Prior to departure on runway 5, the pilot checked the windsock and noted a 90-degree crosswind at speeds from 5 to 10 mph. He made the decision to continue with the departure. During the takeoff roll, he became distracted after he heard another airplane radio intentions to land on runway 23 and he looked up to find the traffic. The pilot stated that the airplane weathervaned 45 degrees into the wind, veered off the runway, and nosed over. ## Factual narrative On May 6, 1999, at 1550 hours mountain standard time, an experimental Widner RV-3A, N5287U, veered off runway 5 and nosed over during the takeoff ground roll at the Casa Grande, Arizona, airport. The airplane, owned and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91, sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the personal cross-country flight that originated from the Needles, California, airport the day of the accident and had made an en-route fuel stop at Casa Grande. The flight was scheduled to terminate at the Deming, New Mexico, airport. The closest official aviation weather observation station is the Phoenix, Arizona, airport, which is 31 nautical miles north of Casa Grande. Reported winds at Phoenix during the time of the accident were variable at 3 knots. The pilot and ground witnesses estimated the winds at Casa Grande to be from 300 degrees at 5 to 10 miles per hour. The pilot stated that he had stopped at Casa Grande airport for fuel. He checked the windsock before departure and noted a 90-degree crosswind. He stated that the wind was not "excessively high" and decided that he could still depart from runway 5. During the takeoff roll, he heard another plane radio their intentions of landing on runway 23. He glanced up for a second to look for the traffic, and the plane weathervaned 45 degrees into the wind. He made an unsuccessful attempt to get the airplane airborne; however, the airplane departed the runway surface into a field where it subsequently nosed over. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5287U](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5287U-2009-04-23), registration cancelled 2009-04-23, S/N 10015, built 1995 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Widner RV-3A - Registry model: [Widner Jack Allen RV-3A](https://openairdocs.org/model/widner-jack-allen-rv-3a) (registry code 05625XT) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-290 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-290-series) (registry code 41506, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: 10015 - Airframe hours: 278 - Engines: Lycoming O-290-G 125 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Herman G. Carroll - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, May 27, 1998, 68 hours before - Departed: CGZ - Destination: DMN, DEMING, NM - Airport: CGZ, Casa Grande, runway 5, 5,200 × 100 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 61; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: center; flight hours: 1,435 total, 198 in this make and model, 1,435 as pilot in command, 11 in the last 90 days, 8 in the last 30 days, 3 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: variable at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 90 °F, dew point 27 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: PHX, 31 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19990506021699A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990506021699A), May 6, 1999: Amtr RV3A, Casa Grande, AZ, Substantial damage. On may 6, 1999, at 1550 hours mountain standard time, an experimental widner RV-3A, N5287U, lost directional control on takeoff and veered off runway 5 at the… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.