- Date
- August 5, 2010, 11:55 local (17:55 UTC)
- Place
- Watkins, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8576YPiper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20100805044369A
- Case key
- 76932
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 failure to maintain aircraft control during the landing, resulting in a ground-loop.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to the pilot, he was landing on runway 8 when the airplane encountered a gust of wind. The pilot corrected for the gust of wind and the airplane became airborne again. When the airplane touched down again, the airplane began to rotate to the left. The right main landing gear collapsed and the right wing impacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing spar. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane at the time of the accident. An examination of the airplane and its related systems, conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector, revealed no anomalies.
Factual narrative
According to the written statement submitted by the pilot, he was landing on runway 8 when the airplane encountered a gust of wind. The pilot corrected for the gust of wind and the airplane became airborne again. When the airplane touched down again, the airplane began to rotate to the left. The right main landing gear collapsed and the right wing impacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing spar. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane at the time of the accident. An examination of the airplane and its related systems, conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector, revealed no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8576Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8889
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KFTG · Watkins, CO
- Destination
- KFTG · Watkins, CO
- Airport
- KFTG · Front Range Airport, runway 08, 8,000 × 100 ft
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
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 8, 2009
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,069 total · 1,707 in this make and model · 1,992 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- KDEN, 5 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 30, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 613 KB in all.
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 N8576Y · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.