# NTSB NYC99LA083: Cessna 182K, N3035Q, Orient, NY, March 31, 1999

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report
- Date: March 31, 1999, 09:21 local (14:21 UTC)
- Place: Orient, NY
- Coordinates: 41.139266, -72.299766 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.1393&lon=-72.2998&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Highest injury: Minor injuries
- Injuries: 3 minor, 1 uninjured
- Status: Completed, report April 25, 2001
- Report: Approved by Office Director
- NTSB case key (mKey): 46072
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC99LA083
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/46072/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99LA083

## Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate compensation for crosswind conditions during takeoff.

## Sequence of events

In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf).

- Loss of control - in flight, takeoff - initial climb
  - weather condition - crosswind
  - compensation for wind conditions - inadequate, pilot in command (cause)
- In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled

## Analysis

The pilot stated that he set 15 to 20 degrees flaps, and that during the takeoff, he 'crabbed' the airplane to the right, into the wind.  The airplane rotated at 65 miles per hour, 'crabbed more into the wind, climbed to 100 feet, and started to sink.'  The pilot lowered the airplane's nose to gain airspeed, but it veered left, struck a tree, and flipped over.  A passenger stated that after takeoff, and about 25 feet of altitude, the airplane went into a 'steeper than usual' left bank.  It then 'lost altitude and crashed.'  The pilot stated that the airplane was operating properly, and that he had flown out of the same airfield many times under the same conditions, even at night, without runway lighting.  The airplane took off with a maximum crosswind component velocity of 18 knots.  The maximum demonstrated crosswind velocity, which was not a limitation, was 11 miles per hour.  The Owner's Manual stated that 'strong crosswind' takeoffs are normally made at the minimum flap setting for field length, and that the airplane is accelerated to a slightly higher takeoff speed, then pulled off the ground abruptly to prevent settling back to the runway should a wind drift occur.

## Factual narrative

On March 31, 1999, at 0921 Eastern Standard Time, a Cessna 182K, N3035Q, was destroyed during takeoff from Rose Field (2NK3), Orient, New York.  The certificated private pilot was uninjured, and the three passengers received minor injuries.  Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.  No flight plan was filed for the flight between Orient, and Dean Memorial Airport (5B9), Haverhill, New Hampshire.  The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

The pilot wrote that he set 15 to 20 degrees flaps, and that during the takeoff, he "crabbed" the airplane to the right, into the wind.  The airplane rotated at 65 miles per hour, "crabbed more into the wind, climbed to 100 feet, and started to sink."  The pilot lowered the airplane's nose to gain airspeed.  The airplane then veered to the left, struck the top of a tree, and flipped over.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector, one of the passengers stated that after takeoff, and about 25 feet of altitude, the airplane went into a "steeper than usual" left bank.  The passenger was about to comment about the abruptness and steepness of the bank, when the airplane "lost altitude and crashed."

The pilot stated to the Inspector that the airplane was operating properly.  He also stated that he had flown out of the same airfield many times under the same conditions, even at night, despite the lack of airport runway lighting.

The airplane took off from Runway 17, a turf runway about 1,100 feet in length.  Winds at an airport 22 nautical miles to the southwest, 7 minutes before the accident, were from 240 degrees magnetic at 9 knots, gusting to 19 knots.  The pilot stated that he checked the weather at that airport prior to the flight.  He also stated that the wind shifted from southwest to northwest after the airplane started to climb.

According to information provided by the airplane manufacturer, the regulation under which the airplane was certificated required a minimum crosswind component of 0.20 times the landing configuration stall speed.  For the 182K, that speed was 11 miles per hour.  That speed was not an operational limitation, only the minimum component demonstrated.  There was no wind component diagram for the 182K, but one was provided for the closest available model, the T182.  From that diagram, a 70-degree angle between wind direction and the runway, at 19 knots, resulted in a crosswind component of 18 knots.

According to the Cessna 182K Owner's Manual:  "Take-offs into strong crosswinds normally are performed with the minimum flap setting necessary for field length, to minimize the drift angle immediately after take-off.  The airplane is accelerated to a speed slightly higher than normal, then pulled off abruptly to prevent possible settling back to the runway while drifting.  When clear of the ground, make a coordinated turn into the wind to correct for drift."

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N3035Q](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3035Q-2014-09-29), registration cancelled 2014-09-29, S/N 18258035, built 1967 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: Cessna 182K
- Registry model: [Cessna 182K](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182k) (registry code 2072724) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 18258035
- Engines: Continental O-470 230 horsepower reciprocating
- Damage: Destroyed
- Flight: Personal, Part 91
- Registered owner: Arthur V. Junge, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal
- Departed: 2NK3
- Destination: 5B9, HAVERHILL, NH
- Airport: 2NK3, Rose Field, runway 17, 1,100 × 200 ft, grass/turf

## Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

- Pilot; age 54; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 1,466 total, 1,116 in this make and model, 32 in the last 90 days, 28 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: 240° at 9 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: none
- Temperature: 63 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observed at: FOK, 22 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 (OpenAirDocs).

- [Accident 19990331002849A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990331002849A), Mar 31, 1999: Cessna 182K, Orient, NY, Substantial damage. Acft was taking off, failed to climb, the left wing tip dipped and struck the ground, and the acft flipped over, other circumstances are unknown. (-23)asel -…

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.

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