Summary
On September 02, 1995, a Piper PA-18-150 (N4253Z) was involved in an incident near Westcliffe, CO. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: FAILURE BY THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. A FACTOR WAS GUSTING CROSS WINDS.
On September 2, 1995, at 1330 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA- 18-150, N4253Z, departed the side of the runway and nosed over during landing roll at Westcliffe, Colorado. The private (commercial glider) pilot was not injured and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 as a glider tow flight when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The tow portion of the flight was complete and the pilot was conducting a final landing. According to the pilot, during landing roll, the wind was gusting between 10 and 20 knots from the west and the aircraft deviated to the west and went off the side of the runway.
This incident is documented in NTSB report FTW95LA377. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N4253Z.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
FAILURE BY THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. A FACTOR WAS GUSTING CROSS WINDS.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On September 2, 1995, at 1330 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA- 18-150, N4253Z, departed the side of the runway and nosed over during landing roll at Westcliffe, Colorado. The private (commercial glider) pilot was not injured and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 as a glider tow flight when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The tow portion of the flight was complete and the pilot was conducting a final landing. According to the pilot, during landing roll, the wind was gusting between 10 and 20 knots from the west and the aircraft deviated to the west and went off the side of the runway. The pilot said there was a slope of 20 to 25 degrees off that side of the runway and the aircraft went down the slope and nosed over.
The nearest weather observation facility was approximately 30 miles away, over a range of 14,000 mountains. Thus the recorded weather is not necessarily indicative of the weather at the accident site.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# FTW95LA377