- Date
- May 6, 2007, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Richmond, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N33180Piper J5A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 27, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20070506006709A
- Case key
- 65730
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 improper positioning of the elevator flight control surface by the pilot-in-command while taxiing with a tailwind, resulting in the airplane nosing over.
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 airplane was landed uneventfully and while taxiing off the runway with a tailwind and incorrect elevator control input (up elevator), the airplane nosed over.
Factual narrative
After landing on runway 34, with the wind reported to be from 040 degrees at 10 knots with gusts to 20 knots, the pilot slowed the airplane, and made a 90-degree left turn to taxi off the runway. While taxiing with a tailwind and up elevator input, the airplane nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N33180
- Reported as
- Piper J5A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5-456
- Airframe hours
- 25,200
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-C2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Banner tow · Part 91
- Operator
- Van Wagner Aerial Media LLC
- Registered owner
- Seashore Advertising Corporation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 2006
- Departed
- KOFP · Richmond, VA
- Destination
- KOFP · Richmond, VA
- Airport
- KOFP · Hanover County Municipal, runway 34, 5,400 × 100 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
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 1, 2006
- Flight hours
- 1,659 total · 596 in this make and model · 1,448 as pilot in command · 118 in the last 90 days · 38 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 14 knots, gusting 21
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.31 inHg
- Observed at
- KOFP
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.