No fatalities

18 Mar 2010: PIPER PA-22-160 — SALTZMAN JOHN — Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ, United States

On 18 Mar 2010, a PIPER PA-22-160 operated by SALTZMAN JOHN was involved in an aviation accident near Phoenix, AZ. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot's inadequate compensation for the quartering tailwind during landing and the flight instructor's delay in taking remedial action. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During a final instructional flight, a student pilot experienced a ground loop after landing with a left quartering tailwind, resulting in wing and fuselage damage.

Incident Overview

A flight instructor was providing a student pilot with a final instructional flight before the student's Federal Aviation Administration private pilot certificate check ride. The student was handling the flying duties. Air traffic control cleared them for the option to runway 30L. The wind was reported from 180 degrees at 7 knots.

Landing and Loss of Control

The flight instructor alerted the student to the presence of a left quartering tailwind for the landing. The initial touchdown was normal. However, as the airplane slowed, it began to drift left. Both pilots applied right rudder and then left rudder. Despite these inputs, directional control was lost, and the airplane entered a ground loop.

Damage Assessment

During the ground loop, the left wing struck the runway surface, resulting in bending and wrinkling of the wing structure. Additionally, the aft fuselage sustained bending and wrinkling near the tail wheel area.

No Injuries or Further Details

The report did not specify any injuries to the occupants. The aircraft type, registration, operator, date, and exact location were not provided in the source.

Contributing factors

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedInstructor/check pilotResponse/compensation