SEA96LA208

The student pilot landed at an airstrip that was not on his planned itinerary for a multi-leg cross-country solo flight. He stated to the airplane owner that he had 'ground-looped' when landing at an airstrip near a winery. During the occurrence, the airplane contacted soft, sandy soil, where the nose landing gear collapsed and the right wingtip struck the ground. The FAA determined that the student had a passenger on board at the time of the accident. The passenger described a loss of control during the approach and landing. The winds were gusty at the time of the occurrence.

On August 14, 1996, at 1707 Pacific daylight time, N3882V, a Cessna 150M, sustained substantial damage during a landing at a private airstrip near the Columbia Crest Winery, Paterson, Washington. The student pilot, who was on a solo cross-country flight, was uninjured. According to the airplane's owner, visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the planned flight. There was no record of the ELT actuating.

The owner of the aircraft, who reported the accident, stated that the student had planned his "long" cross-country flight to depart Olympia, with landings at Wenatchee, Ellensburg, Yakima, Toledo, and return to Olympia. (All destinations were in Washington.) The student contacted him and stated that he had ground-looped when landing at the private airstrip, which was not a planned stop on his cross-country flight. The aircraft was inspected by FAA inspectors and, on September 3, 1996, was determined to have sustained substantial damage during the accident. FAA inspectors were told that the student pilot had a female passenger on board, and that he has disappeared and his family has no contact with him. The female passenger provided a statement, stating that "we were traveling about 70 mph by the gauge in the plane and about 100 feet off the ground when the nose dipped up then down again and then turned to the left. The plane continued to veer to the left and about 65 feet off the ground we were turned completely sideways headed south but moving west. A few seconds later the nose dove and turned west a few degrees into the wind. The wings began to seesaw up and down, we hit the ground still moving sideways, then pitched forward into the ditch that ran parallel to the runway."

In an earlier verbal statement to local investigators, the passenger stated that the airplane's right wing tipped down just before touchdown, believing this to be caused by a gust of wind. As the gust dissipated, the left wingtip touched the runway surface, causing the airplane to pivot sharply to the left, where it left the runway. The airplane contacted soft, sandy soil, where the nose landing gear collapsed and the right wingtip struck the ground.