| Crash location | 61.596111°N, 149.089166°W |
| Nearest city | Palmer, AK
61.599722°N, 149.112778°W 0.8 miles away |
| Tail number | N5589H |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 23 Apr 2003 |
| Aircraft type | Piper PA-20 |
| Additional details: | None |
On April 23, 2003, about 1330 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Piper PA-20 airplane, N5589H, sustained substantial damage when it departed off the right side of the runway and ground looped during the landing roll at the Palmer Municipal Airport, Palmer, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot/owner. The commercial certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at the Birchwood Airport, Chugiak, Alaska, at 1315. No flight plan was filed, nor was one required.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on April 23, the pilot reported that he was landing on runway 27 at the Palmer Airport. Runway 27 has an asphalt surface and is 3,616 feet long and 75 feet wide. The pilot said that during the landing roll, the airplane began to veer left and right, and he added engine power to control the airplane. The pilot indicated that the airplane departed off the runway surface to the right, and then ground looped to the right. The left main landing gear collapsed inward and upward, and the left wingtip struck the ground. The airplane received damage to the left landing gear and fuselage structure, the left wing lift strut, and left wingtip.
The pilot reported the wind was from the south-southwest at 5 knots.
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll which resulted in an inadvertent ground loop and collapse of the left main landing gear.