What happened
During a personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, a commercial pilot was cleared by the air traffic control tower to land on runway 24. At the time of the clearance, the tower advised a wind direction of 120 degrees at 5 knots. The pilot utilized full flaps for the approach.
During the landing roll, the aircraft ground-looped to the left. While no special weather observation was recorded at the exact moment of the accident, the regular observation taken at 1653 reported a wind of 190 degrees at 8 knots, with gusts reaching 15 knots. The pilot noted that the wind felt stronger than the information provided by the tower.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the structural impact of the event. The right wing and aileron sustained structural damage as a result of the ground loop. Prior to the accident, there were no known mechanical anomalies reported with the aircraft.
Findings
In a written report provided to the NTSB, the pilot indicated that the accident was caused by his failure to use proper crosswind landing techniques.