- Date
- May 6, 1990, 11:14 local (17:14 UTC)
- Place
- Helena, MT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8679XCessna C-180E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900506014069A
- Case key
- 17926
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 malfunction of the tail wheel assembly.
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 commercial pilot was making his fourth landing of the morning. The aircraft touched down on the main landing gear as planned and then he let the tail wheel touch down on the runway. He immediately felt a vibration and he lifted the tail wheel back off of the runway. After the tail wheel came off the runway he lost control of the aircraft and it ground-looped. The investigation revealed that the tail wheel bearing and pivot was worn. In addition, the right rudder brake pedal return spring was found separated from the attachment bracket.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8679X
- Reported as
- Cessna C-180E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18051079
- Airframe hours
- 4,000
- Engine
- Continental O-470R, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Melvin O. Tiensvold
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 4, 1989 · 60 hours before
- Airport
- HLN · Helena Regional, runway 27, 9,000 × 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
- 38
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,140 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 2,040 as pilot in command · 65 in the last 90 days · 37 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HLN
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 N8679X · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.