- Date
- March 22, 2000, 16:50 local (23:50 UTC)
- Place
- Roundup, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N75CDCessna 180K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 18, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000322010369A
- Case key
- 48835
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 adequately compensate for wind conditions and subsequent loss of 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 private pilot was landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane on a dry, paved runway. During the landing roll-out, the aircraft began to weathervane and drift left of centerline. The pilot stated he tried to compensate using brake and rudder, but the aircraft continued off the runway and ground-looped. Winds at the time of the accident, as reported by the pilot, were from south at 10-20 knots. No malfunctions or failures were reported with the aircraft's directional control system.
Factual narrative
On March 22, 2000, about 1650 mountain standard time, a Cessna 180K, N75CD, registered to the pilot as a 14CFR91 personal/pleasure flight, was substantially damaged during the landing roll at Roundup Municipal Airport, Roundup, Montana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was uninjured. The flight originated from Roundup approximately 20 minutes prior to the accident. There was no fire and no report of an ELT actuating.
The pilot stated he was landing on runway 24 with a crosswind from the southeast. After the aircraft touched down, in a wing-low attitude, it began to track to the left of the runway centerline. The pilot was unable to correct the situation and subsequently ground-looped the aircraft. The aircraft came to rest south of runway 24, and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, landing gear, right wing and propeller.
The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the aircraft at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N75CD
- Reported as
- Cessna 180K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18053047
- Airframe hours
- 10,380
- Engine
- Continental O-470-U, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Scott C. Olson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 1, 2000
- Departed
- RPX · Roundup, MT
- Airport
- RPX · Roundup, runway 24, 5,100 × 75 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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 271 total · 198 in this make and model · 228 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.