Piper PA-20-135 N8901C

Summary

On 19 July 2001 at about 20:08 local time, a Piper PA-20-135 registered N8901C was involved in an accident near Redmond, Oregon, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 July 2001 at 20:08

Classification

Accident

Location

Redmond, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Roberts Field (RDM)

Coordinates

44.2599, -121.2193

Aircraft

Piper PA-20-135

Registration

N8901C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pendleton → Redmond

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA01LA137

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions during landing. A factor was variable winds.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Upon arrival at Redmond, the pilot was instructed to enter traffic for runway 28. On his first landing attempt, he bounced "moderately" and decided to go around. He reported that on his second approach, winds had increased and were variable. He stated that on this approach, the flare and initial rollout went well but that "the continuing rollout swerved to the left and did not respond well to correction." The pilot therefore decided to go around again, stating in his accident report: "Although I was unsure at the time whether I made contact or avoided a runway light, evidence on the aircraft indicates that a contact did occur." The pilot reported that at this point, he contacted the tower and told them that he was having trouble with crosswind on runway 28. The control tower then offered runway 4. The pilot stated that on the third approach, "I placed the aircraft with good speed control at the center of the runway while holding against a moderate crosswind from the left", but that "Within a few feet...a crosswind (seemingly quartering tailwind) from the right lifted the right wing", and that the aircraft then "arced immediately to the left" and subsequently ground looped at low speed. The aircraft's tailwheel collapsed during the ground loop. The pilot stated that at the approximate time of the accident, "two windsocks were visible indicating moderately strong winds in 180 degree opposite directions on the same runway." According to a special weather observation taken at Redmond at 1310, winds were variable between 280 and 010 degrees true at 8 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.