Accident Piper PA-20 N699DS,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 178908
 
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Date:Wednesday 23 June 2004
Time:09:45
Type:Silhouette image of generic PA20 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Piper PA-20
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N699DS
MSN: 20-951
Year of manufacture:1953
Engine model:Lycoming O-320
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Deer Park Airport, Deer Park, Washington -   United States of America
Phase: Landing
Nature:Training
Departure airport:Deer Park, WA (DEW)
Destination airport:Deer Park, WA (DEW)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:

The pilot/owner had previously received a tail wheel endorsement, but had not utilized it for a number of years. He was therefore working with an instructor to regain his proficiency, but the flight instructor chose to fly in the left seat because the airplane only had brakes on that side, and it had been awhile since he had instructed in a tail wheel aircraft. On the second touch-and-go of the day, the owner made an approach with the intent to do a three-point landing, but inadvertently allowed the airplane's main wheels to contact the ground first, resulting in a bounce. The airplane then touched down in a three-point attitude and began to swerve to the left. The owner applied right rudder, but could not stop the turn. Seeing that the owner was having difficulty, the flight instructor took control of the airplane and attempted to correct the situation by applying "full" right rudder, right brake, and left aileron. The instructor did not take corrective action in time to arrest the left turn, and subsequently, the right main gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest on the runway. It was ultimately determined that although the aircraft was responding correctly to pilot inputs, a realignment/warping of its fuselage due to a number of previous repairs caused it to be very sensitive to any rudder inputs. Although the aircraft was responding correctly to the pilot's inputs, its degree of sensitivity made it difficult for the owner to control from the right seat, and required quicker than normal remedial action by the flight instructor.



Probable Cause: The flight instructor's delayed remedial action. Factors include the owner/pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, and a warped/realigned fuselage that contributed to the sensitivity of the aircraft's response to pilot rudder inputs.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: SEA04LA115
Status: Investigation completed
Duration:
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20040702X00901&key=1

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
22-Aug-2015 17:51 Noro Added
21-Dec-2016 19:30 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
07-Dec-2017 18:04 ASN Update Bot Updated [Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]

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