- Date
- January 2, 2021, 16:15 local (Jan 3, 2021, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Monica, CA · Airport
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N52NLExtra Flugzeugbau EA 300/L
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Lewandowski
- FAA report
- 20210102001589A
- Case key
- 102483
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 directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a ground-loop.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of a tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, during the landing roll, his foot “popped off” the rudder pedal and the airplane ground loop to the left. The left main landing collapsed, the left wing impacted the runway surface and came to rest on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left aileron. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N52NL
- Reported as
- Extra Flugzeugbau EA 300/L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 109
- Built
- 2000
- Airframe hours
- 912
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-540 SER, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Marauder Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- Marauder Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 27, 2020
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- SMO · Santa Monica Muni, runway 21, 3,500 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 13, 2020
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 991 total · 186 in this make and model · 810 as pilot in command · 98 in the last 90 days · 43 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.22 inHg
- Observed at
- KSMO
- METAR
- KSMO 030051Z AUTO 25004KT 10SM CLR 13/10 A3022 RMK AO2 SLP233 T01330100
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 20, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.8 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.