SEA98LA195

The pilot reported that after landing on a 24-foot-wide road, he initiated a 180-degree turn to the left in order to back-taxi to the tiedown area. He stated that as he steered the aircraft to the right (to give himself room to complete the 180-degree turn), he felt the aircraft 'being pulled...or pushed...too close to the edge of the road' (which has ditches and fences on both sides) and applied brakes. He stated that 'Between aggressive braking, forward momentum, and wind, the aircraft nosed over and landed upside down at the edge of the road....' While the pilot did not explicitly report his landing direction, he reported that he had 'an unusual easterly wind' for the landing, and that 'I have always been able to land to the west' at that location. The pilot reported that no mechanical failure or malfunction was involved.

On September 26, 1998, approximately 1700 mountain daylight time, an Evarts Aviation Kitfox IV 1200, N992WY, was substantially damaged when it nosed over on the East Fork Road approximately 13 statute miles east-northeast of Sula, Montana, following a landing on the road. The private pilot of the experimental-category aircraft, who was its owner, builder, and sole occupant, was uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR 91 personal flight from Wisdom, Montana.

The pilot reported that he attempted a landing on the East Fork Road between mile markers 13 and 14. He reported that at this location, the road is straight and level for approximately 1/2 mile, and that the paved road is approximately 24 feet wide and has ditches and fences on both sides. The pilot stated:

...After landing and roll out, I initiated a 180 [degree] turn to the left in order to back taxi and tie the aircraft down. In order to widen the radius of the turn, I steered the aircraft to the right. At this point I felt as if I was being pulled (shoulder of road) or pushed (cross wind) too close to the edge of the road and applied brakes. Between aggressive braking, forward momentum, and wind, the aircraft nosed over and landed upside down at the edge of the road....

The pilot stated that the winds for the landing were from the east at speeds of 3 to 10 knots, and did not explicitly report his landing direction. The pilot reported that "my assessment of the wind during preparation to land suggested a slight quartering cross wind from the left", and stated that "My only concern was that this was an unusual easterly wind and I have always been able to land to the west." Local law enforcement personnel who responded to the accident scene reported that upon arriving at the scene, they observed the airplane on the north side of the road, 13.2 odometer miles east of the intersection of East Fork Road and U.S. highway 93 (the intersection is located in Sula.) The pilot reported that no mechanical malfunction or failure was involved in the accident.

The pilot indicated on his NTSB accident report that the airplane received only minor damage in the occurrence. According to information furnished by the pilot with his NTSB accident report, repairs necessary to restore the airplane to airworthy condition include "re-align[ing]" bends to left and right lower fuselage stringers and a lower cross brace in the tail section of the airframe, and replacing fabric covering on certain areas of the wings, fuselage tail section, and vertical stabilizer. The pilot also reported that the top front section of the vertical stabilizer structural tubing "may be slightly bent."