- Date
- April 27, 2014, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Woodbine, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4615YPiper PA 18-150
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- FAA report
- 20140427006099A
- Case key
- 89133
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 flight instructor's delayed reaction to the loss of directional control, which resulted in a ground loop.
Findings · 4
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
According to the flight instructor, the accident flight was the student pilot's first flight in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. The primary activity for the flight was to be instruction in takeoffs and landings. On the final landing of the flight, the airplane began to "swerve" to the right during the landing roll. In an attempt to regain control of the airplane, the flight instructor added full engine power to go-around. The airplane ground looped, pitched forward, and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer during the accident sequence, and the instructor did not report any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the flight instructor, the accident flight was the student pilot's first flight in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. The primary activity for the flight was to be instruction in takeoffs and landings. On the final landing of the flight, the airplane began to "swerve" to the right during the landing roll. In an attempt to regain control of the airplane, the flight instructor added full engine power to go-around. The airplane ground looped, pitched forward, and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer during the accident sequence, and the instructor did not report any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4615Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA 18-150 (A150)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8936
- Built
- 1972
- Airframe hours
- 3,601
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- High Exposure Inc
- Registered owner
- High Exposure Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 12, 2013
- Departed
- OBI · Woodbine, NJ
- Destination
- OBI · Woodbine, NJ
- Airport
- OBI · Woodbine, runway 31, 3,074 × 75 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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 19, 2014
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,762 total · 688 in this make and model · 1,709 as pilot in command · 63 in the last 90 days · 39 in the last 30 days · 12 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 6 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- OBI
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 9, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.5 MB 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.