- Date
- March 7, 2021, 17:30 local (Mar 8, 2021, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Red Bluff, CA · 40.153294, -122.252913
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N54LMPhillip B Rolls Pitts 12-EH
- 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
- FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210307003199A
- Case key
- 102732
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 a landing, which resulted in a ground loop and subsequent nose over.
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 the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, the airplane touched down on the left main landing gear first. The airplane subsequently ground looped and nosed over coming to rest inverted. The left wing and vertical stabilizer were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N54LM
- Reported as
- Phillip B Rolls Pitts 12-EH
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 053
- Built
- 2001
- Airframe hours
- 118.1
- Engine
- P&W R-985 SERIES, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · December 14, 2020 · 1 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- RBL · Red Bluff Municipal, runway 33, 5,431 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- None
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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 1, 2019
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 767.2 total · 8.4 in this make and model · 685.2 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 6.4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KRBL
- METAR
- SA 07/03/2021 22:54-> METAR KRBL 072254Z AUTO 01006KT 10SM CLR 18/00 A3004 RMK AO2 SLP171 T01830000 $=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 1, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.3 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.