Boeing A75N1(PT17) N7772J

Summary

On 12 March 2015 at about 15:00 local time, a Boeing A75N1(PT17) registered N7772J, operated by COX David L, was involved in an accident near St Marys, Pennsylvania, 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

12 March 2015 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

St Marys, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

St Marys Muni (OYM)

Coordinates

41.4125, -78.5025

Aircraft

Boeing A75N1(PT17)

Registration

N7772J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1943

Engines

1

Operator

COX David L

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Clarion → St Marys

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15CA162

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing in a gusty crosswind, which resulted in a runway excursion and a nose over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot/owner of the tailwheel-equipped biplane performed two low approaches prior to landing in order to "judge" the direction and speed of the wind. The pilot then performed a "wheel landing" to runway 10, a 4,300-foot-long, 75-foot-wide asphalt runway. However, by touchdown, the wind speed and direction had changed, which raised the left wing. The pilot corrected for the lifting of the wing, but the heading of the airplane diverged 10 to 15 degrees to the left of runway heading. At that point, the pilot elected to continue into the snow-covered apron, rather than struggle to maintain runway alignment, and risk the loss of aircraft control. The airplane's main landing gear "caught" as it entered the snow, the airplane nosed over, and came to rest inverted with substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The recorded wind at the airport, about the time of the accident, was from 010 degrees at 9 knots, gusting to 16 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.