KOLIGANEK, AK, USA
N7483K
PIPER PA-20-125
THE STUDENT PILOT REPORTED HE WAS LANDING HIS TAIL WHEEL AIRPLANE TO THE NORTHEAST WITH A PREVAILING 30-35 KNOT EASTERLY CROSSWIND. HE SAID THAT DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE WIND LIFTED THE RIGHT WING, WHICH CAUSED THE LEFT WING TO CONTACT THE GROUND. HE SAID HE WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, AND THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY NOSED OVER. THE STUDENT PILOT REPORTED HE HAD TWO PASSENGERS ABOARD, AND HAD ACCRUED AN ESTIMATED 4,500 HOURS OF TOTAL FLIGHT EXPERIENCE.
On April 15, 1995, about 1200 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-20-125 airplane, N7483K, sustained substantial damage while landing at Koliganek Airport, Koliganek, Alaska. The student pilot and two passengers aboard were not injured. The personal flight operated in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The flight departed Levelock, Alaska, on April 15, time unknown. The pilot has not completed NTSB Form 6120.1/2, Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report. He did speak to the NTSB investigator- in-charge via telephone on August 21, 1995. During that conversation, he reported he was landing to the northeast with an estimated surface wind of 30 to 35 knots velocity from the east. He said that the airplane's right wing was lifted by the wind during the landing roll, and that he was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane's left wing subsequently struck the ground, and the airplane nosed over. The pilot said he had accrued approximately 4,500 total flight hours as a student pilot, with approximately 300 hours in the PA- 20.
THE STUDENT PILOT'S INADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR THE WIND CONDITIONS. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT IS A CROSSWIND.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
Aviation Accidents App
In-Depth Access to Aviation Accident Reports
