- Date
- April 25, 2020, 12:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Bountiful, UT
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N707VBPiper PA18
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 21, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Adminsitration
- FAA report
- 20200425003519A
- Case key
- 101217
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 failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in a roll-over.
Findings · 3
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 reported that she aborted the first landing due to the wind changing direction and slight gusts. During the rollout after the second landing, the pilot applied brakes as the wind simultaneously shifted and lifted the tail upward, which resulted in the propeller striking the runway and the airplane coming to rest in a nose-low attitude. Shortly after, another wind gust lifted the tail, which caused the airplane to flip over. The right-wing lift strut, rudder, and vertical stabilizer were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, she aborted the first landing due to the wind changing direction with slight gusts. During the second landing, as the airplane was rolling out, the pilot applied brakes as the wind simultaneously shifted and lifted the tail of the airplane upward, which resulted in the airplane coming to rest in a nose low attitude. The pilot said that following a momentary pause, another gust of wind lifted the tail and flipped the airplane upside down, near the right side of the runway. The right-wing lift strut, rudder, and vertical stabilizer were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N707VB
- Reported as
- Piper PA18 (150)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-4595
- Built
- 1956
- Airframe hours
- 4,004.3
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 20, 2019 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- BMC · Brigham City, UT
- Destination
- BTF · Bountiful, UT
- Airport
- BTF · Skypark, runway 35, 4,634 × 70 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 65
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 12, 2019
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,274 total · 1,193 in this make and model · 7 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 24,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- KSLC, 5 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 9, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.7 MB 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.