# Accident 20210307003199A: Phillip B Rolls PITTS 12-EH, Red Bluff, CA, March 7, 2021

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 7, 2021, 18:00 local time
- Place: Red Bluff, CA
- Airport: Red Bluff Municipal
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.1505° N, 122.2513° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.1505&lon=-122.2513&mi=10
- Aircraft: N54LM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N54LM-2023-05-29) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Phillip B Rolls PITTS 12-EH (registry code 05636XI, https://openairdocs.org/model/phillip-b-rolls-pitts-12-eh) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney R-985 series (registry code 52008, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-r-985-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PHILLIP B ROLLS PITTS 12-EH
- Reported engine: P&W R-985 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 767 total, 8 in this make and model, 12 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR21LA125](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR21LA125) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210307003199A

## Narrative

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

EVIDENCE OF THE WRECKAGE FROM N54LM INDICATES THAT THE BI-WING AIRCRAFT ATTEMPTED TO LAND ON RUNWAY 33 AT THE RED BLUFF AIRPORT. DAMAGE SHOWS THAT THE BOTTOM RIGHT WING TIP STRUCK THE PAVEMENT FIRST. THE AIRCRAFT SEEMED TO HAVE CARTWHEELED BASED ON DAMAGE TO THE UPPER LEADING EDGE ON THE LEFT WING. THE AIRCRAFT ENDED UP INVERTED ON THE PAVEMENT WITH SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE VERTICAL STABILIZER. SIGNATURES FROM THE PROPELLER INDICATE THAT THE ENGINE WAS OPERATING AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH. PILOT STATED IN WRITING THAT HE PLANNED ON LANDING TO A FULL STOP. THE LEFT TIRE TOUCHED DOWN FIRST. THE AIRCRAFT SPUN 180 DEGREES AND FLIPPED ON IT'S BACK. PILOT STATED THAT IT WAS A STANDARD GROUND LOOP.

ON APRIL 15, 2021 I COUNSELLED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ON THE HAZARDS OF GROUND LOOPING TAILWHEEL AIRCRAFT. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS COOPERATIVE AND UNDERSTANDING. HE EXPLAINED THE EXTRA TRAINING HE RECEIVED BEFORE OPERATING AIRCRAFT N54LM, WHICH I BELIEVE WAS SUFFICIENT.

## 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 WPR21LA125](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR21LA125), Mar 8, 2021: Phillip B Rolls Pitts 12-EH (N54LM), Red Bluff, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during a landing, which resulted in a ground loop and subsequent nose over.

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.