N7729K

On September 13, 1995, at 1330 central daylight time, a Piper PA-20S-135, N7729K, groundlooped while landing at Searcy, Arkansas. The solo student pilot was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was being operated under Title 14, CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local instructional flight for which no flight plan was filed.

During a telephone interview, conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, and on the enclosed Pilot/Operator report, the pilot reported the following information. During a traffic pattern entry, the pilot set "up for a wheel landing" on runway 19. The indicated airspeed of the airplane was 70 mph with the flaps extended 20 degrees and the bank angle "about 10 degrees to the right because of the crosswind." The pilot reported the winds from 270 degrees at 10 knots. During the landing flare/touchdown, "the right main wheel touched down first and my speed decreased." The "left wheel came down, then I was struck by a gust from the right." Subsequently, the airplane groundlooped and came to rest inverted. Wing structural damage was reported.