# NTSB LAX99LA191: Maule M-4-210C, N51450, Lancaster, CA, May 22, 1999

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report
- Date: May 22, 1999, 09:41 local (16:41 UTC)
- Place: Lancaster, CA
- Location: 34.7411° N, 118.2186° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at GENERAL WM J FOX AIRFIELD (WJF), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.7411&lon=-118.2186&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Highest injury: No injuries
- Injuries: 1 uninjured
- Status: Completed, report November 22, 2000
- Report: Approved by Office Director
- NTSB case key (mKey): 46475
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX99LA191
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/46475/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99LA191

## Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing rollout.  A factor in the accident was the pilot's limited experience in conventional gear airplanes.

## Sequence of events

In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf).

- Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll
  - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause)
  - lack of total experience in type of aircraft, pilot in command (contributing factor)
  - ground loop/swerve - not corrected, pilot in command
- On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll

## Analysis

The pilot stated that there were no discrepancies with the aircraft or the landing through touchdown, and, on the landing rollout, the aircraft ground looped.  The pilot received his private pilot certificate on May 7, 1999, and flew a tricycle gear equipped airplane during his training.  He recently transitioned into the conventional landing gear equipped Maule and has accrued a total of 9 hours in it.

## Factual narrative

On May 22, 1999, at 0941 hours Pacific daylight time, a Maule M-4-210C, N51450 ground looped during landing on runway 24 at General Fox Field in Lancaster, California.  The aircraft, operated by the owner and borrowed by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91, sustained substantial damage.  The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured.  The flight originated in Chandler, Arizona, approximately 0600 mountain standard time, and was scheduled to terminate at the Columbia, California, airport with a planned stop in Lancaster.  Visual meteorological conditions existed for the personal flight and no flight plan was filed.  Reported winds at the time of the accident were 230 degrees at 6 knots.

The pilot was interviewed by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector.  The pilot stated that there were no discrepancies with the aircraft or the landing through touchdown, and, on the landing rollout, the aircraft ground looped.

The pilot received his private pilot certificate on May 7, 1999, and flew a tricycle gear equipped airplane during his training.  He recently transitioned into the conventional landing gear equipped Maule and has accrued a total of 9 hours in it.

## Aircraft

- Registration: N51450 (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: Maule M-4-210C
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 1108C
- Engines: Continental IO-360C 210 horsepower reciprocating
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Personal, Part 91
- Registered owner: Randall I. Mcnerlin
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal
- Departed: CHD, CHANDLER, AZ
- Destination: WJF
- Airport: WJF, William J. Fox Field, runway 24, 5,001 × 150 ft, asphalt

## Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

- Pilot; age 31; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 75 total, 9 in this make and model, 55 in the last 90 days

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: none
- Temperature: 64 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observed at: WJF

## FAA reports on this event (1)

The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs).

- [Accident 19990522023899A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990522023899A), May 22, 1999: Maule M4210C, Lancaster, CA, Substantial damage. (.19) On may 22, 1999, at 0941 hours pacific daylight time, a Maule M-4-210C, N51450 ground looped during landing on runway 24 at general fox field in…

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.