Piper PA-22/20 N1139C

Summary

On 3 April 2008 at about 23:05 local time, a Piper PA-22/20 registered N1139C, operated by Douglas S. Cairns, was involved in an accident near Three Forks, Montana, United States. One person was 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

3 April 2008 at 23:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Three Forks, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Three Forks (9S5)

Coordinates

45.8825, -111.5639

Aircraft

Piper PA-22/20

Registration

N1139C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Douglas S. Cairns

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Townsend → Three Forks

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA08CA102

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions during landing. A gusting crosswind was a contributing factor.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was landing the tailwheel equipped airplane in a crosswind on runway 20 and reported that during the landing roll, "...a sudden gust from the west lifted the right wing and landing gear." As the pilot attempted to correct the situation, the airplane's left main landing gear strut collapsed, and the left wing struck the runway surface. The airplane received structural damage to left wing and fuselage. The wind at the time of the accident was from 110 degrees at 10 knots. No mechanical malfunctions were reported.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.