No fatalities

10 Oct 2010: CESSNA 180 — EVANS CRAIG M — Farmington, NM

Farmington, NM, United States

On 10 Oct 2010, a CESSNA 180 operated by EVANS CRAIG M was involved in an aviation accident near Farmington, NM. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The failure of the pilot and the flight instructor to maintain directional control of the airplane during a training maneuver. 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 landing roll, a flight instructor demonstrated adverse yaw by applying left aileron, causing the aircraft to drift right. The pilot's left rudder input did not prevent a right turn, leading to the left wingtip dragging on the ground and substantial damage.

Incident Overview

A flight instructor and a pilot were conducting a landing when the instructor decided to demonstrate adverse yaw. During the landing roll, the instructor maintained control of the ailerons and the pilot maintained control of the rudder. The instructor applied left aileron input, which caused the airplane to drift to the right. In response, the pilot applied left rudder, but the airplane continued drifting right and turned approximately 90 degrees from the runway heading. As the airplane turned right, the left wingtip contacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing.

Details

The flight instructor intended to demonstrate the effect of adverse yaw during the landing. The specific sequence of control inputs led to an uncommanded turn during the ground roll. Despite the pilot's corrective rudder input, the airplane's deviation from the runway heading could not be corrected. The ensuing ground contact with the left wingtip caused structural damage.

Probable Cause

Not specified in the source.

Contributing factors

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedFlight crew