- Date
- March 2, 2015, 16:25 local (22:25 UTC)
- Place
- Murfreesboro, TN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N37WPPiper PA 18
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 11, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20150302003029A
- Case key
- 90842
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 student pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action, which resulted in a ground-loop and the left wing dragging the runway.
Findings · 3
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
During an instructional flight in a tailwheel equipped airplane, the student pilot and flight instructor planned to stay in the traffic pattern for touch and go landing practice. During the landing rollout, the airplane started drifting to the left side of the runway. Subsequently, the student pilot applied a hard correction to the right with the rudder pedals and the airplane ground looped, stopping 180 degrees from the landing direction. The flight instructor stated that he called for "my aircraft" when the student pilot made the hard correction, but the student pilot did not get off rudder pedals. Both the student pilot and flight instructor suspected that inadvertent brake application may have been applied in the heel brake equipped airplane. The flight instructor added that he did not observe any preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane and the winds were light during the time of the accident. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the left wing.
Factual narrative
During an instructional flight in a tailwheel equipped airplane, the student pilot and flight instructor planned to stay in the traffic pattern for touch and go landing practice. During the landing rollout, the airplane started drifting to the left side of the runway. Subsequently, the student pilot applied a hard correction to the right with the rudder pedals and the airplane ground looped, stopping 180 degrees from the landing direction. The flight instructor stated that he called for "my aircraft" when the student pilot made the hard correction, but the student pilot did not get off rudder pedals. Both the student pilot and flight instructor suspected that inadvertent brake application may have been applied in the heel brake equipped airplane. The flight instructor added that he did not observe any preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane and the winds were light during the time of the accident. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the left wing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N37WP
- Reported as
- Piper PA 18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-756
- Built
- 1951
- Airframe hours
- 5,776.5
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 B2B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Murfreesboro Aviation, doing business as Murfreesboro Aviation
- Registered owner
- Badowski Russell S
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 9, 2014 · 108 hours before
- Departed
- MBT · Murfreesboro, TN
- Destination
- MBT · Murfreesboro, TN
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- MBT · Murfreesboro Municipal Airport, runway 36, 3,898 × 100 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 20, 2014
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 12,559 total · 12 in this make and model · 10,253 as pilot in command · 159 in the last 90 days · 54 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 31
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 11 total · 11 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.34 inHg
- Observed at
- MQY, 11 nm away
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 28, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 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.
Other investigations on N37WP · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.