- Date
- December 4, 1998, 09:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Imperial, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N82325Piper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 16, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19981204032829A
- Case key
- 45433
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 inadequate compensation for the gusty wind conditions while taxiing from landing.
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 he landed on runway 26, and as he turned onto the taxiway, a wind gust got under the upwind wing. The aircraft nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airport weather facility reported that the winds were from 250 degrees at 15 knots with gusts to 25 knots at the time of the accident. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunction with the aircraft prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
On December 4, 1998, at 0930 hours Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-18-150, N82325, encountered a wind gust while taxiing and nosed over at the Imperial County, California, airport. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and the commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The public-use aircraft was being operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 by the U.S. Department of Justice/Border Patrol. The local flight originated at the Imperial Airport at 0510 and was terminating at the time of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported that he landed on runway 26. As he turned onto the taxiway, a wind gust got under the upwind wing and the aircraft nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airport weather facility reported that the winds were from 250 degrees at 15 knots with gusts to 25 knots at the time of the accident. The pilot did not report experiencing any mechanical malfunction with the aircraft prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N82325
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7709143
- Airframe hours
- 11,466
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Part 91
- Registered owner
- U.S. Border Patrol Ins
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 4, 1998 · 91 hours before
- Departed
- IPL
- Airport
- IPL · Imperial County, runway 26, 4,500 × 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
- 34
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,642 total · 1,540 in this make and model · 2,478 as pilot in command · 191 in the last 90 days · 118 in the last 30 days · 9 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.