No fatalities

30 Oct 2011: PIPER PA-18-150 — SOLAR CLUB INC — Grangeville, ID

Grangeville, ID, United States

On 30 Oct 2011, a PIPER PA-18-150 operated by SOLAR CLUB INC was involved in an aviation accident near Grangeville, ID. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. 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

A tailwheel airplane performing a full-stop landing on a paved runway lost directional control during the landing roll after encountering a crosswind of about 10 knots. The ensuing ground loop bent the left wing spars. No mechanical issues were reported.

Incident Overview

A tailwheel-equipped airplane was landing on a paved runway in a full-stop maneuver. The initial touchdown was without incident. However, during the landing roll, the pilot lost control of the aircraft when a crosswind of approximately 10 knots was encountered. The loss of control led to a ground loop, during which the left wing struck the runway surface. The impact was forceful enough to bend the wing spars.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported that the airplane's directional control system functioned normally without any mechanical anomalies or malfunctions. No preexisting mechanical issues were identified that could have contributed to the loss of control.

Damage Assessment

As a result of the ground loop, the left wing sustained structural damage. The wing spars were bent due to the impact with the runway.

Investigation

The source does not provide a probable cause for the accident. The sequence of events indicates that the loss of control occurred during the landing roll after encountering a crosswind, but no explicit causal statement is made. The pilot's report rules out mechanical failure in the directional control system.

Contributing factors

Causes

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedPilot

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcome