No fatalities

Tailwheel Airplane Ground-Loops During Gusty Wind Landing

Raton, NM, United States

On August 9, 2018, a PIPER PA18 150 operated by Doss Aviation Inc was involved in an aviation accident near Raton, NM. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's loss of directional control during the landing roll. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 14 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1785761257Data APIEditorial standards

A tailwheel-equipped airplane ground-looped to the left after encountering a wind gust during landing roll, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing, aileron, and elevator.

Incident Overview

A pilot reported that during a wheel landing in gusting wind conditions, the tailwheel-equipped airplane touched down with the right main landing gear first, followed by the left main landing gear. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered a wind gust from the left, causing it to ground-loop to the left. The pilot applied full right rudder and brake, but the airplane exited the left side of the runway. The right wing then struck the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing, right aileron, and right elevator.

Wind Conditions

The pilot observed that the airport's wind socks indicated a 5 to 10 knot "right quartering headwind." The METAR for the airport reported that around the time of the accident, the wind was from 210° at 5 knots. The airplane had landed on runway 25.

Mechanical Status

The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

PilotDirectional control — Not attained/maintained