No fatalities

5 Jun 2019: Piper PA 11 No Series — Paducah, TX

Paducah, TX, United States

On 5 Jun 2019, a Piper PA 11 No Series was involved in an aviation accident near Paducah, TX. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing on a road in crosswind conditions, which resulted in the airplane exiting the road and subsequently 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 landed on a farm road perpendicular to a grass airstrip after heavy rainfall, veered right, and nosed over, causing substantial damage to the left wing lift strut and rudder.

Accident Overview

The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported concerns about the condition of the landing and taxi surfaces at a private grass airstrip following heavy rainfall. After overflying the field, the pilot was unable to determine the surface condition. Deciding it would be safer, the pilot opted to land on a "Farm Road" perpendicular to the runway.

Landing and Sequence of Events

Upon touchdown on the farm road, the airplane suddenly veered to the right. The pilot applied opposite rudder, but the airplane exited the road and nosed over.

Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing lift strut and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Environmental Conditions

The pilot reported that the wind was from 360° at 7 knots, and the airplane was landing to the west.

Contributing factors

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedPilotEffect on operation