- Date
- June 1, 2020, 10:20 local (16:20 UTC)
- Place
- Denver, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6518MStinson 108
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200601010839A
- Case key
- 101357
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 directional control while landing during variable wind conditions.
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
The pilot landed at the airport in a tail-wheel equipped airplane, when he lost directional control and the airplane ground looped. During the ground loop the wing contacted the ground and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The rudder and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. Post-accident examination of the airplane did not reveal any flight control anomalies. Wind recorded at the time of the accident reported variable wind at speeds between 4 and 8 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6518M
- Reported as
- Stinson 108 (3)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 108-4518
- Built
- 1949
- Engine
- Franklin 6A4165 SERIES, 165 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Private Individual
- Registered owner
- Denver Rock Island Railroad
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- CFO · Denver, CO
- Destination
- CFO · Denver, CO
- Airport
- CFO · Colorado Air And Space Port, runway 26, 8,002 × 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
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 11, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 829 total · 25 in this make and model · 3 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots, gusting 8
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 22,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.11 inHg
- Observed at
- KDEN, 5 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 14, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 667 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.