ORANGE, MA, USA
N7118H
Piper PA-12
The tailwheel-equipped airplane made an uneventful approach. Upon touchdown, the wind shifted about 50 degrees, and pushed the tail to the left. The airplane then ground-looped to the right, and departed the runway. The active runway was changed to the opposite direction immediately after the accident.
On October 24, 1999, about 1015 Eastern Daylight Time, a Piper PA-12, N7118H, was substantially damaged during landing at Orange Municipal Airport (ORE), Orange, Massachusetts. The certificated private pilot was uninjured, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan had been filed for the flight, between Mansfield Municipal Airport (1B9), Mansfield, Massachusetts, and Orange. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot reported that the approach to Runway 19 was uneventful. The windsock was indicating about 8 knots, from about 250 degrees magnetic. Then, upon touchdown, the wind shifted to about 300 degrees magnetic, "and pushed my tail hard left into a ground loop. I could not straight[en] out the aircraft and looped right - onto grass where my left wing tip impacted the ground...." The pilot also reported that the active runway was changed to Runway 32 immediately after his landing. Winds at the airport 23 minutes prior to the accident, were recorded as being from 220 degrees magnetic, at 6 knots. Winds the airport 37 minutes after the accident, were recorded as being from 230 degrees magnetic, at 6 knots.
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during a sudden wind shift.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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