- Date
- April 9, 2008, 12:31 local (19:31 UTC)
- Place
- Carlsbad, CA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4418Curtiss-Wright Travel Air 4000
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 28, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20080409832539A
- Case key
- 67798
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 crosswind compensation and failure to maintain directional control during landing rollout.
Findings · 4
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
Following an uneventful commercial air tour sightseeing flight in the 1928 model biplane, the pilot returned to the departure airport and prepared for landing on runway 24. The pilot stated that during his approach, air traffic control tower personal reported that the wind was from 180 degrees at 5 knots. The pilot compensated for the wind by initiating a crab, and he landed on the runway. During the landing rollout the pilot lost directional control of the airplane. The airplane's lower right wing impacted the runway as the airplane suddenly reversed direction and ground looped to a stop.
Factual narrative
Following an uneventful commercial air tour sightseeing flight in the 1928 model biplane, the pilot returned to the departure airport and prepared for landing on runway 24. The pilot stated that during his approach, air traffic control tower personnel reported that the wind was from 180 degrees at 5 knots. The pilot stated that he compensated for the wind by initiating a crab, and he landed on the runway. During the landing rollout, the airplane's lower right wing impacted the runway. The airplane suddenly reversed direction and ground looped to a stop.
On April 30, 2008, the operator's Director of Maintenance reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that he had inspected the accident airplane and found no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunction. He reported that, during the ground loop event, three of the lower right wing's ribs were cracked, and its front and rear spars were broken.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4418
- Reported as
- Curtiss-Wright Travel Air 4000
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 378
- Engine
- Wright R760-8, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Barnstormng Adventures
- Registered owner
- Daniels Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- CRQ · Carlsbad, CA
- Destination
- CRQ · Carlsbad, CA
- Airport
- CRQ · McClellan-Palomar, runway 24, 4,897 × 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
- 55
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 2,722 total · 117 in this make and model · 38 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- CRQ
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 N4418 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.