No fatalities

31 Jul 2014: PIPER PA 18 105SPECIAL — Traverse City, MI

Traverse City, MI, United States

On 31 Jul 2014, a PIPER PA 18 105SPECIAL was involved in an aviation accident near Traverse City, MI. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's loss of directional control during landing, resulting in a runway excursion and the airplane nosing over. 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

A tailwheel airplane experienced a left pull during landing, resulting in a runway excursion and substantial damage to the rudder and right elevator. The pilot noted a left quartering headwind and regretted using brakes.

Incident Overview

According to the pilot's report, a tailwheel-equipped airplane encountered a leftward pull during the landing roll. The pilot was unable to correct the deviation in time, and the airplane departed the runway surface. The event occurred while the airplane was subject to a left quartering headwind reported at 13 knots.

Pilot Actions and Observations

The pilot acknowledged that he applied the brakes after realizing the airplane was heading off the runway. In retrospect, he believed that refraining from braking might have prevented the airplane from nosing over. He stated that no failures or malfunctions were present before the accident.

Aircraft Damage

The runway excursion resulted in substantial damage to the rudder and right elevator of the airplane. No further damage details were specified.

Environmental Conditions

The wind at the time was reported as a left quartering headwind with a velocity of 13 knots. The pilot did not mention the time of day or other weather factors.

Conclusions

The pilot's report serves as the sole source of information for this incident. No investigation findings or causal factors have been stated beyond the pilot's account.

Contributing factors

Causes

PilotDirectional control — Not attained/maintained

Other contributing factors

Surface speed/braking — Not attained/maintained