- Date
- July 13, 1996, 16:21 local (23:21 UTC)
- Place
- Thermal, CA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4740BCessna 180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 16, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960713017029A
- Case key
- 29508
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 existing wind conditions.
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 pilot reported that while inbound to the airport he attempted to contact the CTAF for an airport advisory but could not raise anyone on the frequency. He then monitored the ATIS from a nearby airport and selected runway 35 on that basis. As he entered the traffic pattern he observed the windsock indicating an east wind about the speed he obtained from the ATIS and configured the aircraft for a crosswind landing. The pilot said the touchdown on the main wheels and the subsequent ground roll was uneventful until he lowered the tail. Just after lowering the tailwheel to the ground a gust of wind from the east pushed the tail to the left. The pilot said he was unable to regain directional control with either rudder or brake application and the aircraft ground looped to the right, collapsing the left main landing gear and bending the left wing.
Factual narrative
On July 13, 1996, at 1621 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 180, N4740B, collapsed the landing gear during a ground loop while landing on runway 35 at Thermal, California. The aircraft was owned and operated by the pilot and was on a personal cross-country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The certificated private pilot and the two passengers onboard were not injured. The flight originated at LaVerne, California, on the day of the accident at 1500 as a flight to Thermal.
The pilot reported that while inbound to the airport he attempted to contact the CTAF for an airport advisory but could not raise anyone on the frequency. He then monitored the ATIS from a nearby airport and selected runway 35 on that basis. As he entered the traffic pattern he observed the windsock indicating an east wind about the speed he obtained from the ATIS and configured the aircraft for a crosswind landing. The pilot said the touchdown on the main wheels and the subsequent ground roll was uneventful until he lowered the tail. Just after lowering the tailwheel to the ground a gust of wind from the east pushed the tail to the left. The pilot said he was unable to regain directional control with either rudder or brake application and the aircraft ground looped to the right, collapsing the left main landing gear and bending the left wing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4740B
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31638
- Airframe hours
- 2,977
- Engine
- Continental O-470J, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Larry A. Walburn
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 4, 1996 · 39 hours before
- Departed
- POC · Laverne, CA
- Destination
- TRM
- Airport
- TRM · Thermal, runway 35, 6,799 × 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
- 54
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,747 total · 39 in this make and model · 2,551 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 106 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TRM
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.