- Date
- July 19, 2018, 11:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Bozeman, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3224DCessna 180
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180719011689A
- Case key
- 97880
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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing.
Findings · 2
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
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, after a wheel landing, the tailwheel touched down, and it then started shaking violently. In an attempt to stop the shaking, he pushed forward on the control yoke to no avail. He then tried adding power, raised the tail, and let the tailwheel touch down again; however, the tailwheel continued to shake, and the airplane began to veer left, and he corrected by applying right rudder. Shortly after the airplane regained the runway heading, it suddenly veered right, exited the runway to the right, and ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot added that, during landing, the wind was from 010º at 4 knots. The airport's automated weather observation station reported that, about the 15 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 160° at 4 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 03.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, after a wheel landing, the tail wheel touched down on the ground and started a "violent shaking." He pushed forward on the control yoke to raise the tail, increase throttle and subsequently let the tail touched down on the runway again. The tailwheel continued to shake, and the airplane began to veer left but the pilot corrected with opposite rudder. Shortly after the airplane regained runway heading, the airplane veered right, exited the runway to the right and ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot added that, during landing, the wind was from 010º at 4 knots. The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about the 15 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 160° at 4 knots. The airplane landed on runway 03. The pilot did not submit the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report Form 6120.1.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3224D
- Reported as
- Cessna 180 (Undesignat)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32022
- Built
- 1954
- Engine
- Amateur/Experimental Unknown, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- BZN · Bozeman, MT
- Destination
- BZN · Bozeman, MT
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- BZN · Bozeman Yellowstone Intl, runway 03, 2,650 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 81
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.15 inHg
- Observed at
- KBZN, 1 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 13, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 255 KB 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.