Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent nose over. Contributing factors were the tailwind and the soft snow-covered terrain.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On March 31, 2006, about 1045 mountain standard time, an Aviat A-1B airplane, N471AM, nosed over following a loss of control during the landing roll on runway 03 at the Driggs-Reed Memorial Airport, Driggs, Idaho. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane, which was registered to and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight departed from Driggs about 1020.
According to the pilot, he was performing touch-and-go landings on runway 03. During the landing roll, he experienced a tailwind, and the airplane departed the right side of the runway. The airplane's wheels sank into snow about 12 inches deep, and the airplane nosed over. The right wing strut was bent, and the top of the vertical stabilizer and the rudder were crushed.
The following wind conditions were recorded by the Automated Surface Observing Station at the airport: At 0956, wind from 360 degrees at 3 knots. At 1056, wind from 190 degrees at 11 knots. At 1112, wind from 200 degrees at 14 knots, remark wind shift at 1052. The pilot reported that after the accident, he was told that "the wind had shifted to about a 10 knot tailwind from that reported by the FBO and [he] was unprepared for this condition."
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# SEA06CA070