- Date
- January 5, 2002, 10:40 local (18:40 UTC)
- Place
- Reno, NV
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N83517Piper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20020105000069A
- Case key
- 54014
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 failed to maintain directional control resulting in an inadvertent ground loop. A contributing factor was the tailwind.
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 airplane ground looped during routine pattern work. The pilot made one successful touch-and-go landing. About 300 feet from touchdown, he noticed he was experiencing a quartering left tailwind. He considered performing a wheel landing with partial flaps, but decided to make a full stall landing with full flaps. The touchdown was good, but during the landing roll the airplane began to veer to the right. He applied left rudder, but got no response. He then applied more left rudder and some left brake. The airplane immediately veered left at an angle of 45 degrees to the runway centerline. He reacted with right rudder and brake and the airplane turned to the right so that it was pointed 30 degrees to the right of the centerline. As the airplane reached the centerline, the airplane ground looped. The left axle broke and the left spar sustained substantial damage.
Factual narrative
On January 5, 2002, about 1040 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-18-150, N83517, ground looped at Reno-Tahoe Airport (RNO), Reno, Nevada. The private pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal local flight departed Reno about 1015. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The pilot said he made one successful touch-and-go landing. About 300 feet from touchdown, he noticed he was experiencing a quartering left tailwind. He considered performing a wheel landing with partial flaps, but decided to make a full stall landing with full flaps. The touchdown was good, but during the landing roll the airplane began to veer to the right. He applied left rudder, but got no response. He then applied more left rudder and some left brake. The airplane immediately veered left at an angle of 45 degrees to the runway centerline. He reacted with right rudder and brake and the airplane turned to the right so that it was pointed 30 degrees to the right of the centerline. As the airplane reached the centerline, the airplane ground looped. The left axle broke and the left spar sustained substantial damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N83517
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7709062
- Airframe hours
- 1,197
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Alan G. Means
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 5, 2001 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- RNO · Reno, NV
- Airport
- RNO · Reno/Tahoe, runway 16L, 9,000 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- July 25, 2001
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,309 total · 233 in this make and model · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.38 inHg
- Observed at
- RNO
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 16, 2003, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 369 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.