On April 29, 1982, a Bellanca 7GCBC (registration N8943) operated by Boyd M. Spratling was involved in an aviation accident near Deeth, NV. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain control during a wheel landing due to gusty wind conditions, which led to the aircraft running off the runway and nosing over. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot attempted a wheel landing on an abandoned highway in gusty crosswind conditions. A sudden wind gust caused loss of control, resulting in the aircraft running off the road and nosing over.
What happened
The pilot elected to perform a landing on an abandoned highway, aligning the approach with a heading of 240 degrees. Environmental conditions at the time included winds from the northeast with speeds reported at 8 knots, gusting up to 18 knots.
During the final phase of the landing maneuver, the pilot executed a wheel landing technique. As the aircraft's airspeed decreased sufficiently to allow for lowering the tailwheel, a significant gust of wind was encountered. This sudden change in aerodynamic forces caused the pilot to lose directional control of the aircraft.
Following the loss of control, the aircraft veered off the left side of the highway surface. The uncontrolled excursion resulted in the nose section striking the ground, causing the aircraft to nose over.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control during a wheel landing due to gusty wind conditions, which led to the aircraft running off the runway and nosing over.