McMinnville Airport: McMinnville, Oregon

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The pilot was landing on a gravel bar of a river. He made one full-stop landing, and took off for a second landing. The winds were light and he attempted a shorter landing. The wheels contacted the 1-foot-deep water about 30 feet before reaching the landing zone. The airplane pitched forward and in response he applied full back stick pressure and added power. The airplane continued pitching and nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the wing and fuselage. Updated at May 6 2009 3:35PM

The pilot reported that prior to departing for the flight to a ranch airstrip, he called the ranch owner, who advised him to always land to the south at the airstrip. While en route, he checked the weather at an airport located about 23 nautical miles from the airstrip and learned that the wind was from 310 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 16 knots. Upon reaching the airstrip, the pilot looked for a windsock or other wind indicator, but did not find one. He discounted the wind information he had obtained for the distant airport, as it was located over a mountain range from the airstrip, and decided to land to the south on runway 18 based on the ranch owner's advice. The pilot's first approach was "too fast" and he executed a go-around. On the second approach, he touched down and "felt an immediate drift to the left." The left wing tip struck a 2-inch diameter tree at the edge of the runway. The airplane continued veering to the left, and impacted a 4-inch
diameter tree and an embankment before coming to a stop. The left wing spar sustained structural damage. The pilot stated that his "decision to land to the south, in a crossing tail wind with gusts, is the biggest factor for this accident."

After reaching an airspeed of about 25 to 30 miles per hour, the unregistered airplane lifted off the paved runway and climbed about 30 feet above ground level (agl). At that point its pitch attitude increased sharply. The non-certificated individual who was flying the airplane said that due to his unfamiliarity with this airplane, he was unable to make flight control inputs that allowed him to maintain control. The airplane slowed to an airspeed below stall speed, rolled over, and descended into the runway surface. There was no evidence of any anomaly or malfunction associated with the airplane's airframe or flight control system.