- Date
- July 20, 2001, 17:40 local (21:40 UTC)
- Place
- Latrobe, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8212KStinson 108-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 27, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010720038929A
- Case key
- 52785
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 failure to maintain control of the airplane which resulted in the inadvertent ground loop.
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
During the tailwheel-equipped airplane's landing rollout, the pilot felt a gust of wind come from the right and to the rear. The right wing was lifted off the ground, and the pilot attempted to compensate by applying right aileron and left brake. The airplane continued to ground-loop to the right, pivoting on the left main landing gear until it collapsed. Winds were from the right, at less than 6 knots.
Factual narrative
On July 20, 2001, at 1740 eastern daylight time, a Stinson 108-1, N8212K, was substantially damaged when it ground-looped during a landing at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport (LBE), Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot was not injured, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan had been filed for the flight, between Mount Pleasant-Scottsdale Airport (P45), Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, and Latrobe. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, the landing on runway 05 was "pretty normal." However, during the rollout, he had trouble maintaining directional control and the airplane started to ground-loop to the right. The pilot applied the left brake, but with insufficient force to straighten out the airplane. The airplane skidded, the left wheel collapsed, and the left wing was damaged.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot also reported to him that upon touchdown, he felt a gust of wind come from the right rear of his airplane, which lifted the right wing. He attempted to compensate by applying right aileron and left brake; however, his efforts were too late and the airplane ground looped to the right. As the airplane turned to the right, it was on its left main landing gear only. The left main landing gear then collapsed, and the left wing and propeller contacted the runway.
The airplane had undergone a 3-year renovation, completed approximately 15 flight hours prior to the accident. The pilot had five recent dual instructional flights, and received his biennial flight review sign-off on June 24, 2001.
The FAA inspector reported the winds at the time of the accident as being light and variable, from the southeast at less than 6 knots. The pilot reported the winds as being from 140 degrees, at 4 to 6 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8212K
- Reported as
- Stinson 108-1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 108-1212
- Airframe hours
- 300
- Engine
- Franklin 64A-165-B3, 165 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert Reintgen
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 4, 2001 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- P45 · Mount Pleasant, PA
- Destination
- LBE
- Airport
- LBE · Arnold Palmer Regional, runway 05, 7,001 × 100 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
- 74
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- July 10, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 400 total · 200 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 16 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- PIT, 35 nm away
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 N8212K · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.