# NTSB NYC96LA114: Waco UPF-7, N32091, East Canton, PA, May 25, 1996 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 25, 1996, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC) - Place: East Canton, PA - Coordinates: 41.650032, -76.849426 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.6500&lon=-76.8494&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report February 1, 1997 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 39187 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC96LA114 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/39187/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC96LA114 ## Probable cause the pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions, and his failure to maintain directional control, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent collision with obstacles. The gusty crosswind condition was a related factor. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - weather condition - gusts (contributing factor) - weather condition - crosswind (contributing factor) - compensation for wind conditions - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - On ground/water collision with object, landing - object - fence - object - wall/barricade ## Analysis The airplane overran the runway during landing and collided with a fence and a stone pile. The pilot reported 'the approach was normal and I touched down at the intended point and rolled approximately 200 feet to the top of the slope when a gust directly across the runway put me back in the air but 90 degrees to the runway heading. I applied full power to go around, and I found myself wallowing and not really flying very well. Apparently, the wind at that point was on my tail, and with the hard rise in the terrain, I was past the limit of the (airplane). It stalled/mushed back to earth approximately 40 feet from a barbed wire fence, an a stone pile that stopped my forward travel. The craft flipped over, damaging the (propeller),(landing) gear, upper and lower wings and the top of the tail.' The pilot indicated the accident could have been prevented if '...I would have let the aircraft settle back after realignment with the runway, but at the time, I did not know that I had a tailwind...' ## Factual narrative On May 25, 1996, about 1500 eastern daylight time, a Waco UPF-7, N32091, was substantially damaged during a rejected landing at Larry's Airport, East Canton, Pennsylvania. The private pilot received minor injuries and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed for the personal flight which originated from the Vansant Airport, Erwinna, Pennsylvania, about 1330, and was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. In the NTSB Accident Report, the pilot stated: "...Upon arrival at the strip I made a pass to check the condition and check the wind sock. I noted that the wind was generally out of the west and moderate so I proceeded to downwind to land. The approach was normal and I touched down at the intended point and rolled approximately 200 to 300 feet to the top of the slope when a gust directly across the runway put me back in the air but 90 to the runway heading. I applied full power to go around and I found myself wallowing and not really flying very well. Apparently, the wind at that point was on my tail and with the hard rise in the terrain, I was past the limit of the plane. It stalled/mushed back to earth approximately 40 [feet] from a barbed wire fence and a stone pile that stopped my forward travel. The craft flipped over, damaging the prop, gear, upper and lower wings and the top of the tail." According to a drawing by the pilot, the runway was 1800 feet long, and the runway overrun was on rising terrain. The stone wall that the airplane struck was at the end of the overrun, 1200 feet beyond the runway end and higher than the runway. In a statement signed by the pilot and forwarded to the Safety Board by the FAA, the pilot reported: "...The airplane was running well and the accident was a result of a bad late decision to go around." ## Aircraft - Registration: [N32091](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N32091), registered now, S/N 5723, built 1947 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Waco UPF-7 - Registry model: [Waco UPF-7](https://openairdocs.org/model/waco-upf-7) (registry code 9601302) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG](https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (registry code 99999) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 32091 - Airframe hours: 1680 - Engines: Continental R-670 220 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Ronald J. Mahr - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, February 1, 1996, 24 hours before - Departed: 9N1, ERWINNA, PA - Airport: Larry Dewert, runway 22, 1,800 × 75 ft, grass/turf ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 60; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: rear; flight hours: 3,500 total, 400 in this make and model, 3,100 as pilot in command, 25 in the last 90 days, 25 in the last 30 days, 3 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 270° at 10 knots - Visibility: 50 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 61 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19960525046909A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960525046909A), May 25, 1996: Waco UPF7, Eastcanton, PA, Substantial damage. (-16) Pilot lost control of his aircraft on landing. ## Other investigations on N32091 (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB NYC91LA007](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC91LA007), Oct 9, 1990: Waco UPF-7 (N32091), Erwinna, PA, substantial damage. Probable cause: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING THE TAKE OFF ROLL. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.