- Date
- July 20, 2011, 16:25 local (21:25 UTC)
- Place
- Jamestown, ND
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N343AMills GS-2
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 20, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 81255
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 loss of directional control during landing in gusty crosswind conditions.
Findings · 4
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
Prior to landing, the pilot overflew the airport to determine the wind direction, but all he saw was a limp wind sock. During the landing, the airplane encountered an 80-degree, gusting crosswind and the airplane ground looped. The airplane's fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical anomalies with the airplane and said the accident could have been prevented if he had made a low pass over the runway to determine the wind direction and speed prior to landing.
Factual narrative
The personal flight with two pilots aboard departed with no predetermined destination. The right seat pilot was the flying pilot. The left seat pilot was the nonflying pilot and also the airplane's owner. They overflew one airport and decided to go on to another airport where they would land. The right seat pilot overflew the destination airport in order to determine the wind direction. As he overflew the airport, he saw a flag by the terminal and a "limp" windsock, which was very hard to see and gave "poor" information. During the landing, the airplane ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to fuselage. A crosswind with gusting winds prevailed at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N343A
- Reported as
- Mills GS-2
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 7224
- Airframe hours
- 89
- Engine
- Superior XPIO360-B1AD2, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Individual
- Registered owner
- Individual
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · May 3, 2011
- Departed
- 1310 · Glendive, MT
- Destination
- JMS · Jamestown, ND
- Airport
- JMS · Jamestown Regional Airport, runway 22, 5,750 × 75 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 72
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,559 total · 23 in this make and model · 3,278 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 370 total · 45 in this make and model · 150 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.59 inHg
- Observed at
- JMS