Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
Failure of the pilot to maintain directional control on the landing rollout. Also causal to the accident was his failure to retract flaps during the aborted landing attempt, which lead to a loss of lift and a hard landing followed by a ground loop.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On August 21, 2000, at 1200 hours mountain standard time, a Piper PA-18-150, N91003, veered off runway 21 and ground looped during the landing rollout at the Scottsdale Airport, Scottsdale, Arizona. The airplane, operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that had departed the Glendale Municipal Airport, Glendale, Arizona, at 1140. The flight was scheduled to terminate at Scottsdale. No flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported he made a three-point landing with full flaps selected. On the landing rollout the right wing was lifted by the wind and the right landing gear lifted off the ground. The conventional geared airplane veered to the left. He leveled the wings, which put the right landing gear back on the runway. He attempted to regain runway heading with the rudder. He ". . . felt a ground loop coming on." He applied full power to fly out of the ground loop. While attempting to avoid a taxi light and regain runway heading, he failed to retract the flaps. The pilot stated that due to the low airspeed and the maneuver to avoid obstructions the airplane lost lift and sank. The airplane landed hard and ground looped. The pilot noted no mechanical malfunctions with the rudder or brake system.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# LAX00LA309