Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
failure of the pilot to maintain directional control during the landing, which resulted in an inadvertent ground swerve and gear collapse. The wet runway surface was a related factor.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On June 11, 1997, approximately 1600 Pacific daylight time, a Bucker 1.131 Jungmann, N1XW, ground looped during the landing roll at Cottage Grove State Airport, Cottage Grove, Oregon. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured, but the aircraft, which was owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal pleasure flight, which had been airborne about 30 minutes, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation.
According to the pilot, he was landing in a light rain and the runway surface was wet. In a written statement, the pilot said that, "During rollout, before brake application, a ground loop developed which I was unable to correct it in time." Although he attempted remedial action to stop the ground loop, the aircraft spun 180 degrees to the right. During the ground loop, the main gear collapsed, and the aircraft's wings impacted the pavement. NTSB records show that this pilot was involved in a ground-loop accident in the same aircraft on July 23, 1993.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# SEA97LA135