- Date
- April 27, 2003, 15:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pasco, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N180MKCessna 180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 25, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 56901
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 remedial action when his aircraft began to veer during the landing roll, and his ultimate failure to maintain directional control which resulted in a ground loop. Factors include the pilot's momentary diversion of his attention during the landing roll.
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, who was attempting a three-point landing, inadvertently let the main wheels touch the runway first, resulting in the aircraft bouncing back into the air. Just after it touched down a second time (on all three wheels), the tower asked him if he could make a turnoff at the next taxiway. The pilot therefore looked toward the taxiway in order to determine if it was reasonable to make a turnoff there. When he refocused his attention to the runway, the aircraft was veering to the left. He therefore attempted to get it realigned with the runway, but was unable to do so. Almost immediately thereafter, the aircraft ground-looped. During the ground-loop, one wing impacted the runway, and then the aircraft tipped up onto its nose.
Factual narrative
On April 27, 2003, approximately 1530 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 180, N180MK, was substantially damaged when one of its wings contacted the runway during the landing roll at Tri-Cities Airport, Pasco, Washington. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured, but the aircraft, which is owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal pleasure flight, which departed Richland, Washington, about 5 minutes earlier, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. There was no report of an ELT activation.
According to the pilot, who was attempting a three-point landing on runway 12, he inadvertently let the main wheels touch first, resulting in the aircraft bouncing back into the air. Just after the aircraft touched down a second time (on all three wheels), the tower asked him if he could make a turnoff at the next taxiway. The pilot therefore looked toward the taxiway in order to determine if it was reasonable to make a turnoff there. When he refocused his attention to the runway, the aircraft was veering to the left. He therefore attempted to get it realigned with the runway, but was unable to do so. Almost immediately thereafter, the aircraft ground-looped. During the ground-loop, one wing impacted the runway, and then the aircraft tipped up onto its nose.
According to the pilot, there did not seem to be anything wrong with the aircraft's flight controls or tailwheel steering system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N180MK
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31409
- Airframe hours
- 4,642
- Engine
- Teledyne Continental O-470KCL, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael J. Wiemers
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 1, 2003 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- RLD · Richland, WA
- Destination
- PSC · Pasco, WA
- Airport
- PSC · Tri-Cities, runway 12, 7,700 × 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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- July 1, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 380 total · 11 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- KPSC
Other investigations on N180MK · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.