- Date
- December 13, 2004, 13:28 local (21:28 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Barbara, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N95JDClassic Waco YMF
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 24, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20041213035069A
- Case key
- 60721
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 inadequate compensation for the wind conditions and failure to maintain directional control during landing rollout, which resulted in a ground loop.
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 rollout, the pilot lost directional control of his conventional gear airplane, and it ground looped. The pilot was aware that upon landing on runway 25 the local wind was variable at 6 knots. The pilot's touchdown was normal, but during rollout he lost directional control when a crosswind gust was encountered.
Factual narrative
On December 13, 2004, about 1328 Pacific standard time, a Classic Aircraft Corporation, Waco YMF, N95JD, ground looped during landing rollout at the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, Santa Barbara, California. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot, and it was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed during the personal flight, and no flight plan was filed. The commercial certificated pilot was not injured. The flight was performed under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, and it originated from San Carlos, California, about 1030.
The pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that he was aware the local wind was from 220 degrees, at 7 knots, when he landed on runway 25. The pilot indicated his touchdown was normal, but during rollout he lost directional control when the wind changed its direction and/or a wind gust was encountered. The pilot stated that his total experience flying conventional gear airplanes was about 27.9 hours.
At 1253, the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport reported that the surface wind was from 190 degrees, at 4 knots. At 1353, the reported wind direction was variable, and its speed was 6 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N95JD
- Reported as
- Classic Waco YMF
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- F5C-058
- Engine
- Jacobs R755 B2M, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Joseph J. Ryan
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- SQL · San Carlos, CA
- Destination
- SBA · Santa Barbara, CA
- Airport
- SBA · Santa Barbara Municipal, runway 25, 6,052 × 150 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 1,339 total · 28 in this make and model · 28 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.