- Date
- January 31, 2001, 15:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Junction, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6830ACessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010131001129A
- Case key
- 51738
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 by the pilot to maintain directional control of the aircraft during landing roll. A factor was lack of total pilot experience in aircraft make and model.
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
While on landing roll doing touch-and-go landings, the aircraft began to swerve and the pilot attempted to correct the swerve which became divergent. The aircraft ground looped, which damaged the airframe at the landing gear attach points. The pilot had ll.7 hours total time and 2.4 hours pilot in command in this make and model aircraft.
Factual narrative
On January 31, 2001, at 1530 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172 (tail wheel conversion), N6830A, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in a ground loop during landing roll at Grand Junction, Colorado. The private pilot and sole occupant was not injured. The flight was a local personal flight operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91 and no flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
According to the pilot, she was on landing roll conducting a touch-and-go landing and the aircraft began to swerve. The pilot said she overcorrected and the aircraft did a ground loop causing damage to the airframe at the landing gear attach points.
On the Pilot/Operator Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2), the pilot provided information that she had 11.7 hours total, and 2.4 hours pilot in command in this make and model aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6830A
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28930
- Airframe hours
- 2,000
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- I Fly Strand Aviation
- Registered owner
- Lynn H. Buxton
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 22, 2000 · 41 hours before
- Departed
- GJT · Grand Junction, CO
- Airport
- GJT · Walker Field, runway 29, 10,501 × 150 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
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- September 30, 2000
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 188 total · 12 in this make and model · 103 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
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 N6830A · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.