Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during taxi, which resulted in a ground loop.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The commercial pilot reported that after landing in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, he performed a “higher than normal speed taxi” to exit the runway to make way for incoming landing traffic. During the taxi, he lost directional control, which resulted in a ground loop. During the ground loop, the right wing and the right horizontal stabilizer impacted the ground, sustaining substantial damage to both areas. The airplane came to rest upright, and the pilot taxied back to his hangar. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe and engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot additionally reported that he should have “taken the time necessary” to taxi the airplane safely off the runway and that he should not have “concerned myself with the fact that there was incoming traffic behind me.”