Accident Overview
On August 1, 2012, at about 1145 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-18-150, registration N7808Z, experienced a ground loop and impacted terrain during an after-landing taxi at Meadow Lake Airport (FLY), Peyton, Colorado. The airline transport pilot was uninjured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The aircraft was registered to and operated by High Flights Soaring Club Inc (HFSC) under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a glider tow flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight had not filed a flight plan. The local flight originated from FLY about 1000.
Pilot Actions
The pilot reported that before towing any gliders on a given day, he would fly the tow airplane in the FLY traffic pattern and perform at least three simulated tow patterns and landings. On the day of the accident, he was scheduled as the on-duty tow pilot for HFSC. He executed several full-stop landings on runways 15 (6,000 feet by 60 feet, asphalt) and NS (1,800 feet by 15 feet, north 1,530 feet paved with asphalt), even though no sailplane flights were scheduled. After his last full-stop landing, he cleared runway NS at mid-runway and taxied in a continuous sweeping right turn toward the northwest to the tie-down area. About halfway through the right turn heading west, the airplane's right wing suddenly lifted upwards, causing the left wing to contact the ground "in the blink of an eye" before he could apply corrective control input. He did not notice any airplane damage initially and continued taxiing to the tie-down area without further incident.
Damage Inspection
Postflight inspection by the pilot and a mechanic revealed that the fabric on the top left wing was wrinkled and the left rear wing spar was bent.
Pilot Comments
The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had been more vigilant in watching and immediately correcting for any wind gust conditions that might upset the airplane during taxi. He emphasized the need to always fly the airplane to the chocks and never relax.