No fatalities

28 Jun 2008: Christen Industries A-1 — Pueblo, CO

Pueblo, CO, United States

On 28 Jun 2008, a Christen Industries A-1 was involved in an aviation accident near Pueblo, CO. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: A strong quartering tailwind caused the airplane to swerve during landing, leading to a runway excursion and collision with a fence post. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During landing with a quartering tailwind, the airplane swerved left. Despite applying full right rudder and brake, the left wing struck a fence post, causing the aircraft to nose over and come to rest inverted.

Accident Details

The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that while landing on runway 25, a strong quartering tailwind caused the airplane to swerve to the left. In an attempt to arrest the swerve, the pilot applied full right rudder and right brake. As the airplane responded back to the right, the left wing impacted a fence post. Subsequently, the airplane nosed over and came to rest in an inverted position.

Damage

During the mishap, the airplane's wing strut was bent.

Weather Information

Approximately 23 minutes after the accident, a weather reporting station located 17 miles northeast of the accident site reported winds from 70 degrees at 16 knots, gusting to 24 knots.

Pilot Report

The pilot did not report any pre-impact mechanical malfunction or failure with the airplane.

Probable cause

A strong quartering tailwind caused the airplane to swerve during landing, leading to a runway excursion and collision with a fence post.

Contributing factors

Causes

Directional control — Not attained/maintained

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcomeFence/fence post