# Accident 19990110000339A: Piper PA18A150, Tucson, AZ, January 10, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: January 10, 1999, 15:20 local time - Place: Tucson, AZ - Airport: Tucson International - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing) - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 32.1510° N, 110.9303° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.1510&lon=-110.9303&mi=10 - Aircraft: N8980D (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA18A150 - Reported engine: LYC O235L2C - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 22,004 total, 110 in this make and model, 120 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX99LA071](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99LA071) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990110000339A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ACFT WAS PERFORNING TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS WHEN IT GROUND LOOPED AND FLIPPED OVER AFTER LANDING, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (.19) ON JANUARY 10, 1999, AT 1519 HOURS MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A PIPER PA-18A-150, N8980D, GROUND LOOPED AFTER LANDING ON RUNWAY 11R AT THE TUCSON INTERNATIONL AIRPORT, TUCSON, ARIZONA. THE AIRCRAFT, OPERATED BY SUN WEST AVIATION, INC., SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND PRIVATE PILOT WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS EXISTED FOR THE LOCAL INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. REPORTED WINDS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WERE FROM 360 DEGREES AT 4 KNOTS. IN AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SAFETY BOARD, THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR REPORTED THAT THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS RECEIVING A TAIL DRAGGER CHECKOUT. HE STATED THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT IN A TAIL DRAGGER FOR THE PRIVATE PILOT. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR SAID THAT HE BRIEFED THE PRIVATE PILOT ON THE MANEUVERS THAT THEY WOULD BE PERFORMING. HE ALSO TOLD THE PILOT TO "STAY OFF THE BRAKES" ON THE LANDING. HE REPORTED THAT THEY DID A PREFLIGHT AND NO MECHANICAL ANOMALIES WERE NOTED. HE STATED THAT HE HAD THE PRIVATE PILOT PERFORM SOME POWER ON AND POWER OFF STALLS WITH NOTHING UNUSUAL NOTED. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR STATED THAT ALL MANEUVERS WERE PERFORMED SATISFACTORILY. THE INSTRUCTOR REPORTED THAT BEFORE COMING INTO LAND, HE REMINDED THE STUDENT THAT HE SHOULD NOT USE THE BRAKES ON LANDING. HE STATED THAT THERE WERE NO DISCREPANCIES NOTED WITH THE APPROACH AND LANDING. ON THE LANDING ROLLOUT THE AIRCRAFT HAD A SLIGHT MOVE TO THE LEFT AND THEN A "VIOLENT RIGHT TURN." THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR REPORTED THAT HE PUT IN FULL LEFT RUDDER, BUT THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO EXIT THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND SUBSEQUENTLY GROUND LOOPED. (.4) THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS RECEIVING HIS FIRST FLIGHT IN A CONVENTIONAL GEARED AIRCRAFT. THE INSTRUCTOR HAD INFORMED HIM BEFORE TAKEOFF THAT WHEN THEY WERE COMING IN TO LAND THAT HE NEEDED TO STAY OFF THE HEEL BRAKES. ON THE LANDING ROLLOUT, THE AIRCRAFT MADE A SLIGHT TURN TO THE LEFT AND THE STUDENT APPLIED RIGHT RUDDER TO CORRECT THE DIVERGENCE. THE AIRPLANE THEN MADE AN ABRUPT TURN TO THE RIGHT. BOTH STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR APPLIED FULL LEFT RUDDER TO COUNTERACT THE RIGHT TURN BUT COULD NOT REGAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL BEFORE THE AIRPLANE GROUND LOOPED. THE BRAKE SYSTEM WAS INSPECTED WITH NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS NOTED. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB LAX99LA071](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99LA071), Jan 10, 1999: Piper PA-18A-150 (N8980D), Tucson, AZ, substantial damage. Probable cause: The student pilot's inadvertent activation of the right heel brake on the conventional geared aircraft, which resulted in a loss of directional control and an inadvertent ground loop. A contributing… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.