Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot-in-command's inability to maintain control of the aircraft while taxiing from landing resulting in a nose over. Contributing factors were high winds, crosswind conditions during taxi, and gusty wind conditions.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On October 12, 2001, approximately 1510 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 150L, N18240, registered to and being flown by an airline transport rated pilot was substantially damaged during a loss of control and subsequent nose over while taxiing from landing at the Boardman airport (OR32), Boardman, Oregon. No flight plan had been filed for the flight and the pilot was uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight, which was personal, was operated under 14 CFR 91 and originated from College Place (S95), Washington, approximately 1320.
The 27,000-hour airline transport rated pilot reported that during his flight to Boardman, Oregon, he contacted Chinook approach control and discussed the wind conditions. The pilot then checked the automated surface observing system (ASOS) at Hermiston, Oregon, approximately 28 nautical miles east of the Boardman airport, and determined that the winds at Hermiston were from 220 degrees at 18 knots gusting to 25 knots. The pilot then made an uneventful landing on runway 22 at Boardman and, as the runway was not equipped with a parallel taxiway, he back-taxied to the approach end of runway 22 to exit at the only taxiway available to the ramp.
The pilot reported that as he taxied at a slow speed from the runway he held the yoke forward and the upwind aileron in the "down" position. He further reported that as he made the right turn onto the exit taxiway to the ramp "...a very strong gust of wind caught the aircraft and swung the tail so that the right turn onto the taxiway was very much sharper than intended..." and that "...the wind got under the right wing at that time and raised it...." The left wing struck the ground followed by the propeller and the aircraft then went over to an inverted position.
Surface winds for the following stations and times were reported (refer to CHART I):
The Dalles (DLS) at 1453: 290 degrees at 16 knots gusting to 21 knots
Pasco (PSC) at 1453: 220 degrees at 24 knots gusting to 35 knots
Hermiston (HRI) at 1453: 230 degrees at 20 knots gusting to 25 knots
Pendleton (PDT) at 1456: 240 degrees at 17 knots
A peak gust of 41 knots was recorded at Pasco one hour and 17 minutes before the accident.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# SEA02LA004