23 Oct 2016: PIPER PA 20S UNDESIGNAT

23 Oct 2016: PIPER PA 20S UNDESIGNAT — Unknown operator

No fatalities • Arcadia, FL, United States

Probable cause

The pilot's improper pitch and power control during landing in a straight float-equipped airplane on grass in crosswind conditions, which resulted in a loss of directional control.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

The pilot reported that he ferried the straight float-equipped airplane to a grass airstrip for an annual inspection. During landing on the grass airstrip in crosswind conditions, the pilot reported that upon touchdown he applied back pressure to the controls and added power, but the airplane lifted and came back down quickly. The crosswind had drifted the airplane to the left and as the airplane began to slow on the runway the pilot felt the left float buckle. Subsequently, the left wing and nose impacted the ground and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest inverted.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage, and the rudder.

The pilot reported that there were no pre impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot reported the wind as 060 degrees true at 10 nautical miles per hour, and not gusting. The pilot landed on runway 31.

The pilot reported that the grass had just been cut, and that it would have been better if there had been dew on the grass. He further reported that the crosswind drifted the airplane to the left causing the left float to collapse. He wrote that he should have returned home and come back the following day when there was dew on the grass and no headwind.

Contributing factors

  • cause Pitch control — Not attained/maintained
  • cause Directional control — Not attained/maintained
  • cause Pilot
  • Effect on operation
  • Effect on operation

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 030/11kt, vis 10sm

Loading the flight search…

What you can do on Flight Finder

  • Search flights between any two airports with live fares.
  • By aircraft — pick a plane model (e.g. Boeing 787, Airbus A350) and see every route it flies from your origin.
  • Route map — click any airport worldwide to explore its destinations, or draw a radius to find nearby airports.
  • Global aviation safety — aviation accident database, 5,200+ records since 1980, with map and rankings by aircraft and operator.
  • NTSB safety feed — recent U.S. aviation accidents and incidents from the official NTSB CAROL database, updated daily.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search flights by aircraft type on FlightFinder?

Pick an aircraft model — Boeing 737, Airbus A320, A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more — enter your origin airport, and FlightFinder shows every route that plane flies from there with live fares.

Which aircraft types can I filter by?

We support Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787, the full Airbus A220/A319/A320/A321/A330/A340/A350/A380 family, Embraer E170/E175/E190/E195, Bombardier CRJ and Dash 8, and the ATR 42/72 turboprops.

Is FlightFinder free to use?

Search and schedules are free. Pro ($4.99/month, $39/year, or $99 one-time lifetime) unlocks the enriched flight card — on-time stats, CO₂ per passenger, amenities, live gate & weather — plus My Trips with push alerts.

Where does the route data come from?

Live schedules come from Amadeus, AeroDataBox and Travelpayouts. Observed routes (which aircraft actually flew a given city pair) are crowdsourced from adsb.lol ADS-B data under the Open Database License.