N4385N

On February 12, 1998, at 1326 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 195, N4385N, hit a runway light with the left main wheel and subsequently nosed over during the ground roll following a downwind landing at the Carefree, Arizona, airport. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, and the private pilot and his one passenger were not injured. This segment of the flight originated at Mesa, Arizona, about 26 minutes prior to the crash. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.

According to the pilot, he was unable to reach the Unicom operator at the airport after two attempts to obtain an airport advisory. He said he flew over the airport and observed a flag near the downwind side of the approach to runway 06, which indicated that the wind was "out of the east (from) 270." The pilot said right after he touched down, the wind got under the tail of the aircraft and subsequently nosed the airplane over on its back. He stated that after the accident, he noticed that the wind was about 180 degrees opposite from its previous direction. Other witnesses who were at the airport at the time of the crash told the pilot that the winds had been variable all day.

The Safety Board interviewed the sheriff's officers who responded to the scene of the accident. According to the deputy who interviewed the pilot, it appeared that the pilot "came in to land with the wind rather than into the wind." He did recall, however, that the pilot told him that the winds were 180 degrees opposite after he touched down on the runway.

The pilot stated in his report that he "verifyied winds with the wind sock at mid-field (showing the winds approx. 5-10 kts. out of the east 270 degrees." Additionally, he stated that he experienced a wind shift with a right quartering tailwind gust which caused an immediate swerve to the right edge of the runway. Under the section entitled "Weather Information at the Accident Site," the pilot listed himself as the source of the weather information. He stated that the winds were "SW at 8-10 knots, gusts 10 knots."

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airworthiness Inspector who inspected the wreckage at the request of the Safety Board stated that the pilot landed downwind with about a 10-knot tailwind. He said he found a spot on the runway where the left front tire left skid marks on the pavement before it had departed the runway surface and subsequently struck the runway light.

A thorough review of all available Metars from nearby airports by both the FAA and the Safety Board revealed that the winds were predominately from the west.