NTSB Factual Report

On June 10, 2001, at 1857 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-18, N83464, registered to and being flown by a private pilot, incurred substantial damage during a loss of control and subsequent wing impact with terrain during the landing roll at the Billings Logan International airport, Billings, Montana. The pilot was uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions existed with gusty winds, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight, which was personal, was operated under 14 CFR 91, and had originated from Billings approximately 45 minutes earlier.

The pilot reported that he landed on runway 07 and just before exiting the runway a gust of wind picked up the left wing. The aircraft's right wing impacted the ground and the aircraft departed the runway. The pilot regained control and continued taxiing the aircraft until an airport aircraft rescue and fire-fighting (ARFF) unit met the aircraft to assess aircraft damage and pilot injury. The ARFF supervisor reported that the right wing was bent upwards approximately 10 inches at a point where the right strut attached to the underside of the wing. The responding ARFF crew interviewed the pilot immediately after their arrival and reported that the pilot told them "I had landed but was attempting to keep my speed up because I thought there was another aircraft landing behind me on Runway 7. I lost control of the aircraft, dipped the right wing and left the pavement north of Runway 7." (Refer to attached report)

The surface winds recorded at Billings at 1856 were reported as 020 degrees magnetic at 16 knots gusting to 21 knots. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction with the aircraft during the event.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot-in-command's failure to maintain directional control of the aircraft during the landing roll. A contributing factor was the gusty crosswind conditions.