Waco UKC-S N14611

Summary

On 14 June 2010 at about 01:35 local time, a Waco UKC-S registered N14611, operated by Kenneth D. Horwitz, was involved in an accident near Seattle, Washington, 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

14 June 2010 at 01:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Seattle, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Boeing Field (KBFI)

Coordinates

47.5300, -122.3019

Aircraft

Waco UKC-S

Registration

N14611

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Kenneth D. Horwitz

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bremerton → Seattle

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR10CA290

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate compensation for the crosswind condition, resulting in a loss of directional control during the landing roll.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that prior to entering the traffic pattern in a tail-wheel equipped airplane for landing on runway 31L, the airport’s automatic terminal information service (ATIS) indicated that the wind was from 040 degrees at 11 knots, gusting to 15 knots. The pilot said the maximum crosswind component for the airplane is 15 knots and that he has previously landed this airplane in similar crosswind conditions. Throughout the traffic pattern the pilot requested the wind direction and speed from the controller and on short final, the wind was reported from 030 degrees at 11 knots. The landing was uneventful; however, during the landing roll, a gust of wind lifted the right wing and despite the pilot’s control inputs, the left wing scraped the ground as the airplane turned to the right. Subsequently, the left main landing gear collapsed. The airplane slid and came to a rest perpendicular to the runway. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine prior to the accident. The weather reporting station located at the accident airport reported the wind at the time of the accident was from 030 degrees at 8 knots gusting to 17 knots. In a written statement, the pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented by landing at a nearby airport until conditions improved.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.