Piper PA-22-150 N8042D

Summary

On 17 May 2009 at about 16:30 local time, a Piper PA-22-150 registered N8042D was involved in an accident near Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 May 2009 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Las Cruces International (LRU)

Coordinates

32.2894, -106.9219

Aircraft

Piper PA-22-150

Registration

N8042D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Casa Grande → Las Cruces

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN09CA301

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing in a crosswind. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to land on a runway with a prevailing crosswind.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot elected to land the tailwheel-equipped airplane on a runway with a direct crosswind. Moments later the airplane experienced a gust of wind and briefly went airborne. Once settled back to the ground, the airplane swerved to the left, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing tip impacted the ground. The airplane came to rest in an upright position and the pilot was able to exit the airplane unassisted. A review of airport information revealed that three runways were available for landing, one of which was nearly aligned with the prevailing winds. The airplane's right wing sustained structural damage during the accident. There were no reported malfunctions or failures with the airplane's controls.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.