Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA-18-150 near Lewiston, ID — 2009-11-01

Final reportWPR10CA049
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Date
2009-11-01
Location
Lewiston, ID, USA
Airport
0ID8
Aircraft
PIPER PA-18-150
Registration
N82213
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot's delayed decision to execute a go-around in gusting winds and with up-sloping terrain.

NTSB narrative

The pilot, who was making a visual-flight-rules approach to an 800-foot-long remote airstrip, overflew the runway to observe the windsock. Because he observed the windsock hanging limp, he assumed that the winds around the runway were calm, and therefore continued his approach. About the time he reached the approach end of the uphill-sloping runway, the airplane encountered a strong tailwind gust, which pushed it "…too far up the strip to land." The pilot therefore executed a go-around, but his decision was "too late" and he was therefore unable to outclimb the terrain on the departure end of the runway. During the go-around sequence, the airplane's landing gear came in contact with brush and it flipped over onto its back. Ground witnesses told the pilot that all morning the winds had been variable in direction and had been changing rapidly from nearly calm to gusting as high as 20 miles per hour.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 1 docket document
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents1

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