# Accident 20030908023409A: Piper PA20, Wausau, WI, September 8, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 8, 2003, 10:00 local time
- Place: Wausau, WI
- Airport: Wausau Municipal Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 44.9261° N, 89.6267° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.9261&lon=-89.6267&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5595H, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N5595H) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-20 (registry code 7102002, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-290 series (registry code 41506, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-290-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA20
- Reported engine: LYC O290
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,455 total, 35 in this make and model, 95 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI03LA308](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI03LA308) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030908023409A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) ON SEPT. 8, 2003, AT 10:00 CDST A PIPER PA-20, N5595H GROUND LOOPED ON ROLLOUT AFTER LANDING PARALLEL TO RUNWAY 12 AT THE WAUSAU DOWNTOWN AIRPORT, WAUSAU, WI. THE STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR REPORTED NO INJURIES. THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. NO FLIGHT PLAN MADE. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT THE WAUSAU DOWNTOWN AIRPORT FOR THE PURPOSE OF FLIGHT INSTRUCTION. AFTER LANDING AND DURING ROLL OUT, AIRCRAFT STARTED TURN TO LEFT, CORRECTED BY RIGHT RUDDER FROM STUDENT. GRADUAL RIGHT TURN INITIATED. INSTRUCTOR COMMANDED STUDENT TO ADD LEFT RUDDER, FULL LEFT RUDDER CONFIRMED BY INSTRUCTOR AND THEN COMMAND LEFT BRAKE, GROUND LOOP COMMENCED. DAMAGE TO LEFT ELEVATOR AND TUBING FORWARD OF THE RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER.

## 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 CHI03LA308](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI03LA308), Sep 8, 2003: Piper PA-20 (N5595H), Wausau, WI, substantial damage. Probable cause: The excessive free play resulting in a loose tail wheel assembly and a failure of the flight crew to maintain directional control during the landing rollout.

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.
