- Date
- June 18, 2006, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Nebraska City, NE
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1270CPiper PA-22-135
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA-Lincoln FSDO
- FAA report
- 20060618011829A
- Case key
- 64090
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 during the landing rollout and the resulting ground loop. A contributing factor was the excessive tail wheel steering (rudder) input by the pilot.
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 airplane was substantially damaged when the pilot lost directional control during the landing rollout. The airplane subsequently ground looped causing the left wing to contact the ground and the left main landing gear to collapse. The pilot reported that he flew a "normal downwind to final" with a "very good touchdown followed by the start of a smooth rollout." He stated that the tail wheel began to "wobble (chatter)" and the airplane drifted to the left side of the runway. He added engine power as the airplane reached the edge of the runway and applied rudder correction to return to the runway centerline. The pilot stated, "Too much right rudder started the ground loop which finished with the airplane having turned 180 [degrees]." When the airplane came to rest, the "left wing was down in the dirt with the left main folded under the airplane," according to the pilot. He noted no malfunctions with the airplane. He also commented that more patience with the tail wheel "chatter" may have prevented the over controlling which led to the ground loop.
Factual narrative
The airplane was substantially damaged when the pilot lost directional control during landing rollout. The airplane subsequently ground looped causing the left wing to contact the ground and the left main landing gear to collapse. The pilot reported that he flew a "normal downwind to final" with a "very good touchdown followed by the start of a smooth rollout." He stated that the tail wheel began to "wobble (chatter)" and the airplane drifted to the left side of the runway. He added engine power as the airplane reached the edge of the runway and applied rudder correction to return to the runway centerline. The pilot stated, "Too much right rudder started the ground loop which finished with the airplane having turned 180 [degrees]." When the airplane came to rest, the "left wing was down in the dirt with the left main folded under the airplane," according to the pilot. He noted no malfunctions with the airplane. He also commented that more patience with the tail wheel "chatter" may have prevented the over controlling which led to the ground loop.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1270C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-135
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-1063
- Airframe hours
- 2,727
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 2005
- Departed
- PMV · Plattsmouth, NE
- Airport
- AFK · Nebraska City Muni, runway 33, 4,500 × 75 ft, concrete
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
- 83
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 1, 2005
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,475 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 10,265 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- AFK
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 N1270C · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.