- Date
- August 15, 1998, 11:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Anaconda, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9115CCessna 180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980815021029A
- Case key
- 43740
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
A ground-loop resulting from the pilot's inadequate remedial action while attempting to correct for an inadvertent loss of directional control during the landing roll. Factors include the loss of directional control and attempting to land with a tailwind.
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
While attempting to land with a tailwind, the pilot experienced an inadvertent loss of directional control. Due to the pilot's inadequate remedial action, the aircraft departed the right side of the runway and subsequently ground-looped.
Factual narrative
On August 15, 1998, approximately 1100 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 180, N9115C, ground-looped during the landing roll at Bowman Field, Anaconda, Montana. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, but the aircraft, which was owned by the pilot's son, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR personal proficiency flight, which was being conducted in the traffic pattern at Bowman Field, had been operating in visual meteorological conditions for about 30 minutes prior to the accident. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation.
According to the pilot, he had completed a number of successful stop-and-go landings prior to the landing during which the accident occurred. While attempting the last landing, during which there was a 6 to 10 knot tailwind, the aircraft started drifting toward the right edge of the runway. The pilot was unable to correct the ground track before the aircraft departed the runway, ground-looped and impacted the terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9115C
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31214
- Airframe hours
- 2,786
- Engine
- Continental O-470-R, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Dean Neitz
- Registered owner
- Frank A. Neitz
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 22, 1998 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- 3U3
- Airport
- 3U3 · Bowman Field, runway 16, 6,000 × 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
- 69
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 262 total · 103 in this make and model · 93 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
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 N9115C · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.