Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Pottstown Limerick Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Pottstown, Pennsylvania 19464
Sunday, April 30, 2000 8:45 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The certificated flight instructor (CFI) and pilot were conducting a training flight. During landing, the airplane bounced once on the main landing gear and began a rollout. Control positions of left rudder, right aileron, and elevator transitioning to full up, were inputted for the crosswind condition. After about 500-600 feet into the rollout, the airplane began to swerve to the right. The pilot counteracted the swerve with the remaining amount of left rudder and then began 'feeding in left brake.' The airplane had not changed its heading of more than 30 degrees, when the CFI commanded the pilot to 'get off the brakes.' Both of the pilots applied full left rudder and the airplane departed the right side of the runway and accelerated into a ground loop. Federal Aviation Administration publication FAA-H-8083-3, Airplane Flying Handbook stated, 'If the airplane touches down while drifting or in a crab, the pilot should apply aileron toward the high wing and stop the swerve with the rudder. Brakes should be used to correct for turns or swerves only when the rudder is inadequate. The pilot must exercise caution when applying corrective brake action because it is very easy to overcontrol and aggravate the situation.' The pilot reported 4 hours of total flight experience in make and model. The winds reported at the airport, at 0854, were 320 degrees at 13 knots, gusting to 19 knots.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The second pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions and the inadequate supervision of the flight instructor. Factors related to the accident were the crosswind and gusting wind conditions.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/30/2000 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 845 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | POTTSTOWN |
| Event State | PENNSYLVANIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 19464 |
| Event Date Year | 2000 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | POTTSTOWN LIMERICK |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | PTW |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 309 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 854 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | PTW |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 309 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 13 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 2 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 320 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 13 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 19 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 2 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 398 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Eastern Region OPS CTR |
| NTSB Notification Date | May 1 2000 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1630 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Mar 4 2001 7:08AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N6535E |
| NTSB Number | NYC00LA126 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Cessna |
| Aircraft Model | 185F |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 185F |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 18504053 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3350 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Nov 5 1999 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 95 |
| Airframe Hours | 4099 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | UNITED PARACHUTE CLUB INC |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | |
| Aircraft Owner City | GILBERTSVILLE |
| Aircraft Owner State | PA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 19525 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Instructional |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | N62 |
| Departure City | NEW HANOVER |
| Departure State | PA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 830 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | PTW |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Mar 4 2001 7:08AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 28 |
| Runway Length | 3371 |
| Runway Width | 75 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |