- Date
- February 19, 1998, 16:09 local (21:09 UTC)
- Place
- St. Petersburg, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N1430FCessna 172H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 1, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980219006059A
- Case key
- 38457
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
a sudden encounter with wind gusts associated with a quickly passing rain shower which resulted in a nose-over, and subsequent collision with the runway.
Analysis
Although airport surface winds were shifting throughout the 29 minutes of practice landings, exemplified by three runway changes, the pilot had no airplane control difficulties until after his final full stop landing as he was holding short for taxi clearance back to his FBO. Wind gusts, reported by tower personnel to be about two minutes in duration, reversed direction from west to east as a rain shower traversed the field, lifted the tail until the airplane's longitudinal axis was vertical, and blew it over into an inverted position.
Factual narrative
On February 19, 1998, about 1609 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172H, N1430F, registered to a private individual, operating as a 14 CFR 91 personal flight, nosed over while taxiing after landing at St. Petersburg/Clearwater Airport. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane received substantial damage, and the pilot was not injured. The flight originated from the airport about 29 minutes before the accident.
The pilot stated that the winds according to ATIS were 330 degrees at 7 knots before start-up and taxi at about 1540. The tower cleared N1430F for, and the pilot executed a runway 35L departure in anticipation of a series of touch-and-go landings. At 1549, the tower observed winds were 090 degrees at 9 knots, so the tower cleared N1430F for landings on runway 4. When the pilot requested a full stop landing, the winds were 280 degrees at 15, gusting to 20 knots, so N1430F was cleared to land runway 27, which was executed. The pilot stated that he had no airplane control difficulties in the landing pattern, but as he was clearing runway 27 onto a crossing runway, before joining the taxiway to his FBO, "All of a sudden the winds shifted from a headwind to a very strong tailwind. I could not keep the tail down--the plane stood right up on the nose cone...." Tower personnel stated the airplane was lifted tail first, nosed over, and came to rest inverted on runway 35R. Concerning the wind conditions, they further stated that a fast moving rain storm with gusting winds appeared over the field and was gone within a 2-minute time span.
The St. Petersburg/Clearwater AFSS made a special weather observation at 1621, and winds were 010 degrees at 9 knots.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1430F
- Reported as
- Cessna 172H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17254925
- Airframe hours
- 2,999
- Engine
- Continental O-300, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Donald E. Mcbride
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 23, 1997 · 279 hours before
- Airport
- PIE · St. Petersburg/Clearwater, runway 27, 5,165 × 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
- 51
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,521 total · 1,305 in this make and model · 1,314 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PIE, 1 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.
Other investigations on N1430F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.