- Date
- March 1, 1992, 13:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Albuquerque, NM
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N48DDThorpe T-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920301004789A
- Case key
- 18200
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
A failure of the rudder control system when the pilot attempted to correct for an inadvertent ground loop during landing roll.
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
During landing roll, the pilot inadvertently entered a ground loop. When he attempted rudder input to correct for the ground loop, the rudder control mixing unit in the empennage shifted and jammed the rudder. Continued pressure on the rudder pedals by the pilot fractured the left rudder pedal at the crossover bar. The aircraft wing struck the ground during the evolution causing substantial damage to the left wing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N48DD
- Reported as
- Thorpe T-18
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 958
- Airframe hours
- 244
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1FGP, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gordon Hall
- Registered owner
- Gordon Hall
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 30, 1991 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- COS · Colorado Spring, CO
- Airport
- ABQ · Albuquerque International, runway 3, 9,000 × 50 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 980 total · 37 in this make and model · 5 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.