- Date
- May 12, 2007, 12:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Red Lodge, MT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N10484Maule MXT-7-180A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20070512006559A
- Case key
- 65778
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 gusty crosswind conditions and failure to maintain proper runway alignment that resulted in dragging a wing and ground looping. Also causal was the pilot's delayed decision to abort the landing.
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 encountered a crosswind gust, drifted off the runway, dragged a wing, and ground looped during the pilot's attempted landing. The pilot said that while on short final to the active runway, the airplane encountered a wind shear and crosswind gusts. The airplane descended rapidly and the pilot added full engine power in an attempt to abort the landing. The airplane drifted to the right of the runway centerline and he realized that it would not be able to achieve the performance necessary to climb out. The pilot retarded the throttle to idle and elected to land. The right wing contacted uneven terrain adjacent to the runway and the airplane ground looped. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine.
Factual narrative
The airplane encountered a wind gust and ground looped during the pilot's attempted landing. In a written statement, the pilot reported that prior to landing at the destination airport, he received the automated weather information. It reported winds were at 11 knots gusting to 17 knots. While on short final to the active runway, the airplane encountered a wind shear and crosswind gusts. The airplane descended rapidly and the pilot added full engine power in an attempt to abort the landing. The airplane drifted to the right of the runway centerline and he realized that it would not be able to achieve the performance necessary to climb out. The pilot retarded the throttle to idle and elected to land. The right wing contacted uneven terrain adjacent to the runway; the airplane ground looped.
The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine. The left and right wing sustained damage during the accident sequence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N10484
- Reported as
- Maule MXT-7-180A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21037C
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-C1F, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- LAR · Laramie, WY
- Destination
- RED · Red Lodge, MT
- Airport
- RED · Red Lodge Airport, runway 16, 4,000 × 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 63
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 1,115 total · 228 in this make and model · 107 in the last 90 days · 68 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 11 knots, gusting 17
- 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.