- Date
- August 27, 1989, 10:53 local (17:53 UTC)
- Place
- Independence, OR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4549HPiper PA-15
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 10, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890827031809A
- Case key
- 41067
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain directional control during the landing, which resulted in an inadvertent ground loop and subsequent overload failure of the left main gear. A factor related to the accident was: improper flare by the pilot.
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
During the landing, the acft touched down with slow airspeed (rprtdly tailwheel 1st), then ground looped to the right. Subsequently, the left main gear collapsed, the right wing was damaged and the prop struck the ground. No previous mechanical problems were reported.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4549H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-15
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15-323
- Engine
- Continental C-65, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Patsy R. Rokus
- Airport
- 7S5 · Independence State, runway 16, 3,070 × 60 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
- 60
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Flight hours
- 300 total · 25 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- SLE, 8 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.