- Date
- February 8, 2003, 13:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- McMinnville, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N734KUCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 23, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Portland FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030208001209A
- Case key
- 56461
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 compensation for wind conditions and his failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. Factors include gusty crosswinds and soft terrain in the area where the aircraft departed the side of the runway.
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, who was landing in gusty crosswinds, had already made one landing and was on the landing roll of his second when he encountered crosswinds that lifted the aircraft's left wing in the air. At the same time as the wing was being lifted, the aircraft started drifting toward the right side of the runway. As the pilot attempted to get the wing down using aileron deflection, and tried to get the aircraft heading straight down the runway, it felt to him like the aircraft was going to cartwheel. He therefore decided to let the aircraft go off the side of the runway in the direction it was headed. After departing the runway, the aircraft encountered soft terrain, whereupon the nose gear dug in and the aircraft nosed over. According to the pilot, except for a minor nose wheel shimmy, there did not seem to be any problems with the aircraft's controls.
Factual narrative
On February 8, 2003, approximately 1300 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172N, N734KU, nosed over during the landing roll at McMinnville Municipal Airport, McMinnville, Oregon. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, but the aircraft, which is owned and operated by Starks Twin Oaks Airpark, Inc., sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal pleasure flight, which was being conducted in the VFR pattern at McMinnville, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation.
According to the pilot, who was landing in gusty crosswinds, he had already made one landing and was on the landing roll of his second when he encountered crosswinds that lifted the aircraft's left wing in the air. At the same time as the wing was being lifted, the aircraft started drifting toward the right side of the runway. As the pilot attempted to get the wing down using aileron deflection, and tried to get the aircraft heading straight down the runway, it felt to him like the aircraft was going to cartwheel. He therefore decided to let the aircraft go off the side of the runway in the direction it was headed. After departing the runway, the aircraft encountered soft terrain, whereupon the nose gear dug in and the aircraft nosed over. According to the pilot, except for a minor nose wheel shimmy, there did not seem to be any problems with the aircraft's controls.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N734KU
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17268921
- Airframe hours
- 3,763
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Twin Oaks Airpark, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 17, 2003 · 45 hours before
- Departed
- MMV · McMinnville, OR
- Destination
- MMV
- Airport
- MMV · McMinnville Municipal, runway 04, 5,420 × 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
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- August 16, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 74 total · 5 in this make and model · 37 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 7 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 17, 2003, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 503 KB in all.
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 N734KU · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.