Chandler, AZ, USA
N143HP
Aviat A-1B
The airplane ground looped upon encountering wind gusts during the landing rollout. The winds were approximately 90 degrees right of the airplane's landing direction at between 8 and 10 knots. The pilot said that when the airplane weather vaned, he applied corrective action that was excessive, and the airplane ground looped.
On April 22, 2006, about 0811 mountain standard time, an Aviat, A-1B, N143HP, ground looped during landing on runway 04L at the Chandler Municipal Airport, Chandler, Arizona. The airplane was substantially damaged, and the pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated by Chandler Air Service, Inc., during the private pilot's local area personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight was performed under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, and it originated from Chandler about 0745. The pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that on his fourth touch-and-go, as the airplane's wheels touched down, a "light gust" was encountered that caused the airplane to slightly weather vane. The pilot took corrective action by applying rudder pressure. Then, the airplane yawed violently to the right. The pilot reacted with application of full left rudder pressure and full engine power. The airplane started to straighten its course, but then violently yawed left, veered off the runway and ground looped. The pilot estimated that the wind was between 130 and 140 degrees, and its speed was between 8 and 10 knots. The pilot indicated to the Safety Board investigator that, during the mishap, he might have overcorrected his control efforts when he encountered the gusts.
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions and failure to maintain directional control during the landing rollout. A contributing factor was the pilot's excessive use of the flight controls.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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