NTSB Factual Report

On June 8, 2001, about 2215 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-20, N7783K, sustained substantial damage during a ground loop while landing at the Winnemucca, Nevada, airport. The private pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot sustained no injuries. The cross-country night flight departed Mandril, Idaho, at an unknown time. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed.

According to the pilot's statements to the Safety Board investigator, he made a normal landing and was rolling out when a gust of wind lifted the left wing. The airplane became partially airborne and landed hard, collapsing the right main landing gear. Structural damage also resulted when the right wing was bent after it struck the ground. In his written report, the pilot stated that he had received a weather briefing 7 hours 45 minutes prior to the accident. Additionally, he reported a wind gust and the direction as calm at the Winnemucca Airport. He did not report having observed the windsock or having monitored the Winnemucca Automated Surface Observation System located on the field prior to the approach.

The Winnemucca METAR reported the wind information; 270 degrees at 13 knots with peak winds at 280 degrees and 26 knots, respectively. The National Weather Service station record for Winnemucca was requested for June 08, 2001, and the information obtained did not indicate any maintenance or operation downtime. The record displayed only one entry in the service logs for the following day. The entry read that the staff had "dialed into the site and saved 12 hours of 5-minute data after receiving notification of an aircraft incident."

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to obtain weather information or an in-flight advisory that would have described current wind information at the destination airport and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control during landing.