Primary finding
Probable cause
failure of the pilot to maintain control of the airplane during the landing roll. A factor relating to the accident was: the crosswind condition.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot reported that during the landing roll, the wind caught the airplane's tail and raised the right wing. He stated the left wingtip contacted the runway and the airplane ground looped. The airplane then nosed over before coming to rest. The pilot reported that the winds were from 350 degrees at 12 knots.
Source record
Factual narrative
On April 5, 1996, at 1807 eastern daylight time, a Stinson 108-3, N6179M, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged during a crosswind landing on runway 27R (3251' x 75') at the Oakland-Pontiac Airport, Pontiac, Michigan. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight was not operating on a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight departed Pontiac, Michigan, exact time unknown. In a written statement, the pilot reported that during the landing roll the wind caught the airplane's tail and raised the right wing. The airplane's speed was about 10 miles per hour when the right wingtip raised up. Shortly after this, the left wingtip contacted the runway and the airplane ground looped to the right. The airplane nosed over onto its propeller spinner during the ground loop action. The pilot said the winds were from 350 degrees magnetic at 12 knots. According to the Federal Aviation Administration Principal Operations Inspector (POI), the pilot told him he had about 300 hours in the Stinson 108-3 airplane. The POI said the pilot told him he had flown about 1 hour in the last 90 days. The pilot's last training in tailwheel airplanes was during 1993. Actual pilot flight time records were not found by the pilot. -