Accident Details
The airplane nosed over after veering off the runway during landing. The pilot, who had just picked up the aircraft from a repair shop where it had been for the last couple of months, stated that the airplane is a conversion to the PA-22/20 conventional landing gear arrangement. During the landing on runway 20, with winds he described as from 100 degrees at 6 knots, the pilot experienced directional control problems after touchdown. The airplane first veered left, then right, and finally departed off the right side of the runway. Traveling at a slow speed, the pilot applied both brakes to stop, and the airplane nosed over very slowly, damaging the vertical stabilizer.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. He stated his total flight time was 140 hours, with about 60 hours in the accident aircraft. Prior to departing from Medford, he had obtained some dual instruction to review landing techniques in conventional gear airplanes.
Weather Conditions
The official Vacaville aviation METAR at both 1453 and 1553 reported variable wind conditions at 3 to 4 knots.