Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the aircraft during the rollout phase of the landing sequence, which resulted in a gound swerve.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On September 12, 1997, at 1300 hours Pacific daylight time, an experimental Newberg PL-4A, N44PN, ground looped while landing at the Placerville, California, airport. The pilot had begun a personal flight from San Carlos, California, and was en route to Carson City, Nevada, with a planned fuel stop in Placerville. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, and the pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. No flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported that his first landing at Placerville was "rough" so he decided to practice touch-and-go landings before going on to Carson City. The pilot said that on his last landing, "I got a bad bounce from my tail wheel and was too slow in reacting and it got away from me."
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# LAX97LA323