Skip to content

ERA21LA013

2020-10-08 · Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport PYM

Current FAA registration · N8788D

Make / Model
PIPER PA-18-150
Year of manufacture
1958 · 62 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19580204
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AC1782

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll with a quartering gusting headwind.

Factual narrative

The pilot was landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane on runway 24 with a quartering headwind from the northwest gusting to 20 knots. During the landing roll, the flight encountered wind gusts from the northwest that caused the airplane to “weathercock” to the northwest and the pilot applied full engine power to go around. When the airplane was about 1 ft above ground level, the right main landing gear impacted a taxi light. The airplane then contacted the ground and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Runway/taxi/approach light-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_ERA21LA013.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.