No fatalities

24 Jan 2016: PIPER PA 18A 150 — Daryl Hickman — Auburn, WA

Auburn, WA, United States

On 24 Jan 2016, a PIPER PA 18A 150 operated by Daryl Hickman was involved in an aviation accident near Auburn, WA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The failure of the pilot receiving instruction to maintain directional control during the landing roll, resulting in a ground-loop. 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 training flight, a ground loop occurred after the pilot receiving instruction applied the right brake sharply, causing the left main landing gear to collapse and the left wing to strike the ground.

Incident Overview

A flight instructor reported that during the landing roll, the airplane veered left. In response, the pilot receiving instruction applied a "sharp application" to the right brake. The flight instructor stated that he directed the pilot to release the brakes three times.

Sequence of Events

As a result of the right brake application, the airplane ground looped to the right. The left main landing gear subsequently collapsed, and the left wing impacted the ground. This impact resulted in substantial damage to the left wing.

Mechanical Condition

The flight instructor reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Summary

The incident involved a ground loop during the landing roll following an abrupt brake application. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the left wing and left main landing gear.

Contributing factors

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedPilot