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Atlas / NTSB / ATL02LA126

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event ATL02LA126

2002-06-19 Jacksonville, Florida, United States Airport · HEG None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N9150C

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

CESSNA 180

Year of manufacture

1954 · 48 years old at event

Engine

CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 hp)

Seats / Engines

4 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19570429

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S ACAB99

Registrant of record

AKERS JOEL W

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control on landing rollout resulting in an inadvertent ground loop. A factor related to the accident was the certified flight instructors inadequate supervision of the training flight.

Factual narrative

On June 19, 2002, about 0900 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 180, N9150C, registered to a private owner operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, experienced a loss of directional control on landing roll out at Harlong Airport in Jacksonville, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The private pilot receiving instruction and the commercial pilot certified flight instructor (CFI) reported no injuries. The flight originated from Herlong Airport, Jacksonville, Florida, at 0800. The CFI and pilot stated he had made two full stop landings, and one touch and go landing before the accident. He completed his before landing check on downwind and listened to the AWOS weather information. The winds were reported as calm. The pilot made a wheel landing and as the tail wheel began to lower, the airplane started to veer to the left. The CFI got on the flight controls with the pilot and they both applied right rudder. The airplane continued to veer to the left, and the left main landing gear went off the side of the runway and the airplane nosed over. The CFI stated the pilot encountered a gust of wind and lost directional control of the airplane. The 0915 AWOS surface weather observation at the time of the accident at Herlong Airport was: wind calm, visibility 10 miles, ceiling 1,400 overcast, temperature 75-degrees Fahrenheit, dew point temperature 75-degrees Fahrenheit, and altimeter 30.17. Examination of the airplane by an airframe and power plant mechanic for De Bar Aviation located at Herlong Airport revealed sudden stoppage damage to the engine assembly and accessories. The right main landing gear box structure and cabin floor was buckled. A functional check of the left and right brake assembly revealed no anomalies. The pilot was conducting a wheel landing to a full stop with a certified flight instructor (CFI) in the right front seat evaluating his performance. Upon touchdown, as the tail wheel started to come down, the airplane veered to the left. The CFI got on the controls with the rated pilot. Both pilots applied right rudder. The CFI stated that it felt like the right brake had locked. The airplane continued to the left. The left wheel went off the runway and the airplane nosed over. Examination of the left and right brake assembly revealed no anomalies. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2002_ATL02LA126.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

What the literature says.

Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type. Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.

Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗