20030308004119A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Cessna 180K · St Charles, MO · March 8, 2003

Date: March 8, 2003 · 09:00 local
Place: St Charles, MO
Airport: Charles Airport
Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N2732K
NTSB investigation: NTSBCHI03LA081
Reported as: Cessna 180K
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 230 total35 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days

N2732KRegistered now · Cessna 180KS/N 18053046 · Built 1979 Airframe modelCessna 180K Engine modelContinental O-470 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) The pilot was attempting to land his Cessna 180 on runway 27 at 3SQ. The winds were from the south at about nine (9) knots with some gust factor. A line of hangars is to the south of the first half of the runway. As the aircraft touched down in a wheel landing, it passed the area of the runway that was protected by the hangars. The sudden gust of wind in the open area caught the pilot by surprise and he lost control of the airplane and ground looped into a ditch on the south side of the runway. The airplane sustained damage to several flight control surfaces. The same pilot ground looped the same airplane nine (9) months previous to this event.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND HIS CESSNA 180 ON RUNWAY 27 AT 3SQ. THE WINDS WERE FROM THE SOUTH AT ABOUT NINE (9) KNOTS WITH SOME GUST FACTOR. A LINE OF HANGARS IS TO THE SOUTH OF THE FIRST HALF OF THE RUNWAY. AS THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN IN A WHEEL LANDING, IT PASSED THE AREA OF THE RUNWAY THAT WAS PROTECTED BY THE HANGARS. THE SUDDEN GUST OF WIND IN THE OPEN AREA CAUGHT THE PILOT BY SURPRISE AND HE LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AND GROUND LOOPED INTO A DITCH ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO SEVERAL FLIGHT CONTROL SURFACES. THE SAME PILOT GROUND LOOPED THE SAME AIRPLANE NINE (9) MONTHS PREVIOUS TO THIS EVENT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CHI03LA081Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportSt Charles, MOThe pilot's inadequate compensation for wind and his failure to maintain directional control resulting in a ground loop. A factor was the crosswind.Mar 8, 2003 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N2732K · 2

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20020726027329IRoll-Out (Fixed Wing) · St Louis, MO(-23) PIC howard clark reported that he lost control on landing in crosswind conditions. He indicated that he had a normal touchdown in the wheel landing configuration when the aircraft began to weathervane to the right on rollout. He said that when he…Jul 26, 2002 · Minor damage Accident 19940817021629ATo Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct) · Hanksville, UTLost control departing in severe gusty crosswind. Drifted left of runway on liftoff. Settled into embankment.Aug 17, 1994 · Substantial damage