Stevens Field Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Pagosa Springs, Colorado 81147
Thursday, September 20, 2012 12:15 MDT

The pilot reported that he chose the landing runway because there was no appreciable wind and because it had a slight upslope. He reported that he made an uneventful wheel-landing, with the wing flaps partially extended, and that he was able to maintain directional control until the tailwheel made contact with the runway. The pilot stated that the airplane immediately began to swerve left after the tailwheel contacted the runway. The pilot’s attempts to regain directional control were unsuccessful, and the airplane departed the left side of the runway. The right main landing gear collapsed and the right wing impacted terrain during the runway excursion. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He postulated that the airplane’s higher-than-normal true airspeed and ground speed because of the high density altitude conditions contributed to his inability to maintain directional control during the landing roll. He further noted that he was unaccustomed to landing at high density altitudes and that the accident might have been prevented had he performed a full-stall (three-point) landing instead of a wheel landing. The calculated density altitude was 10,081 feet.

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s lack of landing experience at high density altitudes.