Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control, which resulted in a ground loop during the landing roll.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On August 2, 2006, about 0720 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 180, N3239D, sustained substantial damage when it ground looped during landing at Moose Creek USFS Airport, Elk City, Idaho. The private pilot and the two passengers were not injured. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed from a private airstrip in Sandpoint, Idaho about 0600.
According to the pilot, he landed to the north on the 4,100-foot-long turf airstrip and had slowed the airplane to about 25 mph when it "went to the right of centerline." He attempted to regain directional control by using left rudder and brake, but was unable to prevent the airplane from ground looping. The pilot commented that he "should have been faster on the rudder pedals to not let it get away." An FAA inspector examined the airplane and reported that the left wing sustained structural damage.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# SEA06CA156