- Date
- February 21, 2009, 12:50 local (19:50 UTC)
- Place
- Ogden, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8637DPiper PA-22-160
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 6, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Adminsitration
- FAA report
- 20090221000989A
- Case key
- 73418
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 loss of directional control during the landing roll due to the separation of the tailwheel spring retaining clip for unknown reasons.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that the tailwheel-equipped airplane started veering to the right during the landing roll. Despite his control inputs, the airplane continued to veer to the right, exited the runway, and tipped onto its left wing tip, damaging the left elevator, before coming to rest upright within a snow bank. According to the pilot, the left tailwheel steering link (spring retaining clip), Univair Part number 2133, was missing from the tailwheel assembly and a search failed to locate it on the runway or near the airplane. A missing tailwheel steering link would allow the tailwheel to freely caster.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that the tail wheel-equipped airplane started veering to the right during the landing roll. Despite his control inputs, the airplane continued to veer to the right, exited the runway, and tipped onto its left wing tip damaging the left elevator, before coming to rest upright within a snow bank. According to the pilot, the left tail wheel steering link (spring retaining clip), Univair Part no. 2133, was missing from the tail wheel assembly and a search failed to locate it on the runway or near the airplane. A missing tail wheel steering link would allow the tail wheel to freely caster.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8637D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-160
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-5845
- Airframe hours
- 2,538
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Carl William Shepard
- Registered owner
- Aviation Experience LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 1, 2009
- Departed
- BMC · Brigham City, UT
- Destination
- OGD · Ogden, UT
- Airport
- OGD · Ogden Hinkley Airport, runway 16, 5,195 × 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
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 5, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 13,512 total · 145 in this make and model · 5,700 as pilot in command · 37 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.32 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.