- Date
- November 22, 2005, 13:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lopez, WA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N108EECessna 180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 29, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20051122029019A
- Case key
- 63090
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The airline transport pilot, who was receiving recurrent training, failed to maintain aircraft control, which was followed by an inadvertent ground loop. A contributing factor was the inadequate supervision by the flight instructor.
Analysis
An airline transport pilot was receiving instruction in tail wheel landings in her personal airplane (she had been flying it on floats in Alaska for the last five years). The flight instructor said this was the first tail wheel landing for the day, and it was the second day of their recurrent training. The student said that after she landed, she released pressure on the flight controls like she did during a float-airplane landing on water. During the landing roll, the airplane ground looped to the left, and a rib and spar in the right wing were bent.
Factual narrative
On November 22, 2005, at approximately 1330 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 180, N108EE, was substantially damaged when the airplane ground looped during a landing attempt at Lopez Island Airport (S31), Lopez, Washington. The commercial pilot flight instructor, airline transport pilot (ATP) receiving instruction, and passenger were not injured. Flying Bee, LLC. was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the instructional, cross-country flight that originated from Mount Vernon, Washington, at 1315. No flight plan had been filed.
The ATP receiving instruction (the owner of the airplane) said that she has been an active pilot for the last five years, but she had been flying with floats on her airplane in Alaska. The flight instructor said this was the first landing (tail wheel) for the day and it was the second day of their recurrent training. The student said that after she landed, she released pressure on the flight controls like she did during a float-airplane landing on water. During the landing roll, the airplane ground looped to the left, and a rib and spar in the right wing were bent.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N108EE
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32505
- Airframe hours
- 8,633
- Engine
- Continental O-470-R, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Anissa S Berry-Frick
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 2004
- Departed
- BVS · Mount Vernon, WA
- Destination
- S31 · Lopez, WA
- Airport
- S31 · Lopez Island Airport, runway 34, 2,904 × 60 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 1, 2005
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,921 total · 366 in this make and model · 1,786 as pilot in command · 53 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 1, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,860 total · 120 in this make and model · 3,401 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- FHR, 5 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.