Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind condition which resulted in his failure to maintain directional control of the airplane. Factors associated with the accident were the crosswind and the grass which the airplane contacted.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On November 30, 2003, at 1143 central standard time, a Piper PA-28-180, N7467W, operated by Heartland Aviation, nosed over following a loss of directional control while landing on runway 36 (3,401 feet by 50 feet, dry concrete) at the Bloomfield Municipal Airport (4K6), Bloomfield, Iowa. The private rated pilot was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The local flight departed from 4K6, at 1135.
The purpose of the flight was for the pilot to practice takeoffs and landings. The pilot stated that on his first landing he touched down approximately 1,300 feet down the runway. He reported that shortly after touchdown he "lost control of the aircraft in the crosswind." The airplane departed the left side of the runway. The pilot reported the airplane traveled another 300 feet prior to nosing over in the grass about 20 feet off the side of the runway.
The pilot reported the local winds at the time of the accident were from 270 degrees at 10 - 12 knots.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CHI04LA035