Summary
On April 04, 2010, a Piper PA-18-150 (N7884D) was involved in an incident near Brook Park, MN. 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: The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing rollout in variable wind conditions.
The pilot reported that after a normal touchdown the airplane drifted toward the right side of the runway. He attempted to correct for the right drift with a left rudder input, but the wind suddenly changed direction and airplane veered to the left. He applied full brakes to stop the airplane from leaving the runway, but in the process the airplane nosed over. The vertical stabilizer, rudder, both wings, and cabin structure were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. About 4 minutes before the accident, a local weather station reported that the prevailing wind was out of the southwest at 4 knots.
This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN10CA193. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N7884D.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing rollout in variable wind conditions.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The pilot reported that after a normal touchdown the airplane drifted toward the right side of the runway. He attempted to correct for the right drift with a left rudder input, but the wind suddenly changed direction and airplane veered to the left. He applied full brakes to stop the airplane from leaving the runway, but in the process the airplane nosed over. The vertical stabilizer, rudder, both wings, and cabin structure were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. About 4 minutes before the accident, a local weather station reported that the prevailing wind was out of the southwest at 4 knots. About 16 minutes after the accident, the same weather station reported that the wind speed had increased to 8 knots, with 14 knot wind gusts.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CEN10CA193