N51450

On May 22, 1999, at 0941 hours Pacific daylight time, a Maule M-4-210C, N51450 ground looped during landing on runway 24 at General Fox Field in Lancaster, California. The aircraft, operated by the owner and borrowed by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91, sustained substantial damage. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated in Chandler, Arizona, approximately 0600 mountain standard time, and was scheduled to terminate at the Columbia, California, airport with a planned stop in Lancaster. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the personal flight and no flight plan was filed. Reported winds at the time of the accident were 230 degrees at 6 knots.

The pilot was interviewed by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector. The pilot stated that there were no discrepancies with the aircraft or the landing through touchdown, and, on the landing rollout, the aircraft ground looped.

The pilot received his private pilot certificate on May 7, 1999, and flew a tricycle gear equipped airplane during his training. He recently transitioned into the conventional landing gear equipped Maule and has accrued a total of 9 hours in it.