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Atlas / NTSB / CEN10CA473

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event CEN10CA473

2010-08-05 Watkins, Colorado, United States Airport · KFTG None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N8576Y

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

PIPER PA-18-150

Engine

LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19760819

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S ABC49A

Registrant of record

CENTERLINE HOLDINGS LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the landing, resulting in a ground-loop.

Factual narrative

According to the written statement submitted by the pilot, he was landing on runway 8 when the airplane encountered a gust of wind. The pilot corrected for the gust of wind and the airplane became airborne again. When the airplane touched down again, the airplane began to rotate to the left. The right main landing gear collapsed and the right wing impacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing spar. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane at the time of the accident. An examination of the airplane and its related systems, conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector, revealed no anomalies. According to the pilot, he was landing on runway 8 when the airplane encountered a gust of wind. The pilot corrected for the gust of wind and the airplane became airborne again. When the airplane touched down again, the airplane began to rotate to the left. The right main landing gear collapsed and the right wing impacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing spar. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane at the time of the accident. An examination of the airplane and its related systems, conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector, revealed no anomalies. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_CEN10CA473.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.