- Date
- June 3, 2002, 17:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Thomaston, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8680DPiper PA-18A-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 20, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Atlanta FSDO
- FAA report
- 20020603023509A
- Case key
- 54891
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
Failure of the pilot-in-command to maintain directional control on landing, resulting in 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
A Piper ground-looped during a landing at a private airport in Thomaston, Georgia. The airplane ground-looped, and the left wing struck the ground. The pilot continued the flight and returned to Griffin. During the post-flight examination of the airplane, the pilot discovered that the left wing assembly had sustained structural damage.
Factual narrative
On June 3, 2002, at 1700 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-18A-150, N8680D, registered to a private owner and operated by the pilot ground-looped during a landing at a private airport in Thomaston, Georgia. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial airframe damage. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured. The flight departed Griffin, Georgia, at 1630.
According to the pilot, he and his passenger had flown from Griffin to Thomaston on a local pleasure flight. Upon landing, the pilot reported that the airplane ground-looped, and the left wing struck the ground. Unaware of the extent of airframe damage, the pilot continued the flight and returned to Griffin. During the post-flight examination of the airplane, the pilot discovered that the left wing assembly has sustained structural damage.
Further examination disclosed a bent spar and ripped fabric on the left wing. Examination of the airplane failed to disclose a mechanical malfunction or component failure. The pilot also did not report a mechanical failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8680D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18A-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-6284
- Airframe hours
- 9,278
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360/L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Barbara's Banners
- Registered owner
- Starka Ventures
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 2, 2001 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- 8GA6 · Griffin, GA
- Destination
- KOPN · Thomaston, GA
- Airport
- KOPN · Thomaston-Upson County, runway 30, 5,001 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- August 20, 2001
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,510 total · 25 in this make and model · 1,365 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- ATL, 42 nm away
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 N8680D · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.