Piper PA-22-160 N8637D

Summary

On 21 February 2009 at about 19:50 local time, a Piper PA-22-160 registered N8637D, operated by Carl William Shepard, was involved in an accident near Ogden, Utah, 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

21 February 2009 at 19:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Ogden, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Ogden Hinkley Airport (OGD)

Coordinates

41.1956, -112.0128

Aircraft

Piper PA-22-160

Registration

N8637D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Carl William Shepard

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Brigham City → Ogden

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR09CA136

Nobody was injured.

The loss of directional control during the landing roll due to the separation of the tailwheel spring retaining clip for unknown reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that the tailwheel-equipped airplane started veering to the right during the landing roll. Despite his control inputs, the airplane continued to veer to the right, exited the runway, and tipped onto its left wing tip, damaging the left elevator, before coming to rest upright within a snow bank. According to the pilot, the left tailwheel steering link (spring retaining clip), Univair Part number 2133, was missing from the tailwheel assembly and a search failed to locate it on the runway or near the airplane. A missing tailwheel steering link would allow the tailwheel to freely caster.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.