- Date
- April 20, 1996, 14:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- Pittsfield, MA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7002MCessna 175
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 20, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960420012999A
- Case key
- 39170
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 crosswind compensations during the landing roll.
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 was practicing crosswind landings to runway 26. He was making a full-stop landing after two touch-and-go landings. During the landing roll, as the airplane was decelerating, the left wing lifted and the right wing struck the runway. The pilot reported that the winds were from 160 to 200 degrees at 8 to 10 knots, with gusts to 20 knots. He stated '...a gust of wind caught the left wing and tipped the aircraft....'
Factual narrative
On April 20, about 1415 eastern standard time, a Cessna 175, N7002M, was substantially damaged when it collided with the runway during the landing roll at Pittsfield Municipal, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The private pilot and pilot rated passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight that departed at 1100. No flight plan had been filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
During a telephone interview with the pilot, the pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to practice crosswind landings. The wing low method was used to compensate for the left crosswind. During the third landing, as the airplane was decelerating in the landing roll, the left wing started to lift. The left wing continued to lift until the right wing struck the runway.
In the NTSB form 6120.1/2, the pilot stated:
Airplane was landed on runway 26 and was rolling out. Winds were 160 [to] 200 [degrees] at 8 [to] 10 knots. . . . As the airplane rolled out, a gust of wind caught the left wing and tipped the aircraft. The aircraft turned to the left approximately 70 degrees. The right wing struck the runway and turned back to the right approximately 120 degrees.
Additionally, the pilot reported that the winds were gusting to 20 knots.
Post-accident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector revealed that the right wing spar was damaged No preimpact mechanical malfunctions were found with the airplane, nor did the pilot report any.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7002M
- Reported as
- Cessna 175
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 55302
- Airframe hours
- 2,507
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jacqueline A. Cahill
- Registered owner
- Paul D. O'Neil
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 15, 1995 · 27 hours before
- Departed
- PSF
- Airport
- PSF · Pittsfield Municipal, runway 26, 5,000 × 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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 324 total · 293 in this make and model · 266 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 9 knots, gusting 20
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.