- Date
- May 23, 2006, 18:00 local (May 24, 2006, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Sterling, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4814Cessna 180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20060524010449A
- Case key
- 63751
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate compensation for a crosswind during the landing roll, which resulted in an on-ground encounter with the runway surface. Factors contributing to the accident were a crosswind, and an inadvertent ground loop.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The certificated commercial pilot was landing at a private airstrip at the conclusion of a CFR part 91 personal flight. The airstrip did not have a windsock, but the pilot said he anticipated a right crosswind, and estimated the wind as about 10 knots. He said the airplane touched down, and then bounced slightly. The airplane began to veer to the right, and he attempted to stop the turn by applying left rudder and left brake. The turn continued, and the airplane ground looped to the right, sustaining damage to the left wing, the left horizontal stabilizer, and the left main landing gear.
Factual narrative
The certificated commercial pilot was landing at a private airstrip at the conclusion of a CFR part 91 personal flight. The airstrip did not have a windsock, but the pilot said he anticipated a right crosswind, and estimated the wind as about 10 knots. He said the airplane touched down, and then bounced slightly. The airplane began to veer to the right, and he attempted to stop the turn by applying left rudder and left brake. The turn continued, and the airplane ground looped to the right, sustaining damage to the left wing, the left horizontal stabilizer, and the left main landing gear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4814
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32847
- Engine
- Continental O-470-K, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Thomas W. Bullard
- Registered owner
- Thomas Bullard
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PAMR · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- Sterling, AK
- Airport
- runway 24
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 1,350 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 10 knots
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N4814 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.