What happened
A certified flight instructor was operating an aircraft on approach to the airport when they assumed control for the landing phase. As the airplane touched down, it bounced twice upon impact with the runway surface. Following these bounces, the aircraft experienced a loss of directional control and groundlooped.
The investigation
Following the incident, a Federal Aviation Administration accident coordinator conducted an examination of the airplane's control systems to determine if equipment failure contributed to the event. The inspection revealed that there were no mechanical malfunctions or defects in the control systems that would have resulted in a loss of directional control.
Findings
The primary factor in this event was the loss of directional control during the landing roll. The sequence of events indicates that the bouncing upon touchdown compromised the pilot's ability to maintain runway alignment, leading to the groundloop. Since mechanical causes were ruled out by the FAA coordinator, the incident is attributed to operational factors related to the landing technique or environmental conditions not detailed in the source.