Cessna 180K N77NP

Summary

On 4 October 2003 at about 16:00 local time, a Cessna 180K registered N77NP, operated by Nolan D. Palmer, was involved in an accident near Starkville, Mississippi, United States. 5 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 October 2003 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Starkville, Mississippi, United States

Nearest airport

George M. Bryan Airport (STFQ)

Coordinates

33.4192, -88.8333

Aircraft

Cessna 180K

Registration

N77NP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Nolan D. Palmer

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Madison → Starkville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL04LA004

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to compensate for a crosswind condition that resulted in the loss of directional control during a landing. A factor was the crosswind condition.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Upon arriving at the destination airport, the pilot established a visual approach to land on runway 18. The reported prevailing winds were 260 degrees at 4 knots. According to the pilot, while landing on runway 18, the right wing came up and the airplane ground looped. The pilot recalled that the left wing and stabilizer struck the ground as the airplane gyrated during the ground loop. A visual examination of the airplane revealed damage to both components. The pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane during the attempted landing. According to the pilot, he had accumulated about 250 flight hours in the Cessna 180K airplane. According to the Cessna 180K Pilot Operating Handbook, the demonstrated crosswind component is 12 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.