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NYC03LA105

2003-05-12 · Roanoke, Virginia, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport ROA

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's inadequate compensation for winds, and failure to maintain directional control. A factor in this accident was the gusty wind conditions.

Factual narrative

On May 12, 2003, about 1630 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-22-150, Canadian registry CFKLW, was substantially damaged while landing at the Roanoke Regional Airport, Roanoke, Virginia. The foreign certificated pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane was owned by the pilot, and had been converted from a tri-cycle to tail-wheel landing gear configuration. The pilot reported he was landing on runway 24, a 6,800-foot long, 150-foot wide, asphalt runway, when he experienced a wind gust, just after touchdown. The airplane became airborne again, turned sideways, and departed the left side of the runway. The airplane impacted on a taxiway, which damaged the horizontal stabilizer, vertical stabilizer, rudder, right elevator, and portions of the fuselage. The pilot stated he did not experience any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. The pilot reported 1,800 hours of total flight experience, which included about 1,000 hours in make and model. Winds reported at the airport about the time of the accident, were from 290 degrees at 19 knots, with 30 knot gusts. The pilot was landing on runway 24, when the airplane experienced a wind gust just after touchdown. The airplane became airborne again and departed the left side of the runway. The airplane impacted on a taxiway, which damaged the horizontal stabilizer, vertical stabilizer, rudder, right elevator, and portions of the fuselage. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions. Winds reported at the airport about the time of the accident, were from 290 degrees at 19 knots, with 30 knot gusts. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2003_NYC03LA105.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.