# NTSB MIA98LA080: Cessna 172H, St. Petersburg, FL, February 19, 1998 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Date: February 19, 1998, 21:09 UTC, 16:09 local - Place: St. Petersburg, FL - Coordinates: 27.90096, -82.680976 (estimated) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director, December 1, 1999 - NTSB case key (mKey): 38457 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=MIA98LA080 - NTSB report (PDF): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/38457/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA98LA080 ## Probable cause 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 - On ground/water encounter with weather, taxi - from landing - weather condition - sudden windshift (cause) - weather condition - gusts (cause) - weather condition - tailwind (cause) - Nose over, standing - engine(s) operating - On ground/water collision with object, standing - engine(s) operating - terrain condition - runway ## Aircraft - Registration: N1430F, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1430F-2017-03-10) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 172H - Registry model: Cessna 172H (registry code 2072424, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172h) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental 0-300 series (registry code 17022, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17254925 - Airframe hours: 2999 - Engines: Continental O-300 145 horsepower - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airport: PIE, ST. PETERSBURG/CLEARWATER, runway 27 - FAA reports: 19980219006059A (https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980219006059A) (OpenAirDocs) ## Flight crew - Pilot; age 51; flight instructor, commercial; medical class 2; hours: 1 24 hours, 1 24 hours in this make and model, 18 30 days, 18 30 days in this make and model, 60 90 days, 60 90 days in this make and model, 1,314 pic, 1,020 pic in this make and model, 1,521 total, 1,305 total in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 10° at 9 knots - Visibility (statute miles): 4 - Lowest ceiling (ft AGL): 5500 - Temperature (°F): 73.4 From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- From OpenAirDocs.org, an independent open copy of NTSB and FAA data. The NTSB's own report is the official record of an investigation.