N4556Z

On January 2, 1999, at 1118 hours Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-22-108, N4556Z, nosed over following a loss of control during the flare/touchdown at Hayward, California. The aircraft was destroyed during the impact sequence and postcrash fire. The student pilot was not injured. The flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.

In the pilot's written statement, he reported that he had stayed in the pattern at Hayward to practice touch-and-go landings and completed two with no problems noted. He stated that this was to be his last landing for the day and noted that his approach speed over the fence was normal. He said he was drifting to the right as he began his flare, and the next thing he remembered was the left wing getting ready to touch the ground, as in a left sliding skid or ground loop condition. He applied full throttle to try and fly the airplane so that the wing would not hit the ground. The pilot said the airplane "did not want to fly," so he elected to close the throttle and straighten the airplane out prior to landing. The airplane nosed over upon landing, which resulted in a broken front landing gear. The pilot said he shut off the fuel, mixture, magnetos, and master switch and exited the airplane. The pilot reported that at the time of the accident, ATIS was reporting the winds to be from 070 degrees at 04 knots.

The Federal Aviation Administration Aviation (FAA) Safety Inspector told Safety Board investigators that the support structure of the nose gear contacted the output side of the gascolator, causing it to break off the fitting which resulted in unregulated fuel pouring into the engine cowling. The aircraft fuel ignited and the fabric began to catch fire, thus eventually destroying the airplane.

An aviation inspector from the FAA interviewed the certified flight instructor (CFI), who had provided training to the student pilot. The CFI stated that in his opinion, the student pilot "possessed excellent flying skills." He further stated that the student pilot had approximately 40 hours of flying time, including 3 to 4 hours of crosswind landings at Palo Alto Airport, an airport known for it's stiff crosswinds. He also said that he felt that the student pilot was "a very cautious and attentive student."

The Safety Board did not take custody of the wreckage.