- Date
- August 30, 1995, 15:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Yuma, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N91008Piper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 27, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950830027129A
- Case key
- 29205
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 flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight and the failure of both pilots to maintain directional control.
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 aircraft owner stated that he took delivery of the aircraft that morning and hired a flight instructor to accompany him back to his home airport because he had no experience in conventional gear aircraft. The pilot said the instructor was talking him through a landing on runway 17 and shortly after touchdown the aircraft began veering to the right. The instructor applied a left rudder correction and the aircraft ground looped to the left.
Factual narrative
On August 30, 1995, at 1530 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-18-150, N91008, ground looped on landing at Yuma, Arizona. The aircraft was owned and operated by the private pilot, who purchased the aircraft that morning. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a VFR flight plan was filed for the cross-country flight. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. Neither the private pilot nor the commercial pilot/flight instructor onboard were injured. The flight originated at Tucson, Arizona, on the day of the accident at 1200 as a combined cross-country delivery and dual instructional flight for the new owner.
In a telephone interview, the new owner stated that he took delivery of the aircraft that morning and hired a flight instructor to accompany him back to his home airport because he had no experience in conventional gear aircraft. The pilot said the instructor was talking him through a landing on runway 17 and shortly after touchdown the aircraft began veering to the right. The instructor applied a left rudder correction and the aircraft ground looped to the left. The aircraft incurred structural damage to the right wing spar.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N91008
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8109061
- Airframe hours
- 686
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael K. Macintosh
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 16, 1994 · 86 hours before
- Departed
- TUS · Tucson, AZ
- Destination
- YUM
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- YUM · Yuma International, runway 17, 5,710 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 24
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 431 total · 3 in this make and model · 385 as pilot in command · 118 in the last 90 days · 36 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 102 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- YUM
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.