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DEN02LA020

2002-01-13 · Grand Junction, Colorado, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport GJT

Current FAA registration · N382X

Make / Model
MAULE M-5-235C
Year of manufacture
1976 · 26 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-540 SERIES (250 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19760719
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A464C5

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

the failure of the tail wheel left steering cable. A contributing factor was the pilot's loss of aircraft control (not possible) and the subsequent inadvertent ground loop.

Factual narrative

On January 13, 2002, at approximately 1515 mountain standard time, a Maule M-5-235C, N382X, was substantially damaged during a ground loop on landing roll at Grand Junction, Colorado. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant in the airplane, was not injured. The pilot was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight which had originated approximately 45 minutes before the accident. The pilot had not filed a flight plan. The pilot said that during a touch and go landing, he heard a "bang." The left rudder pedal went to the floor, and the airplane ground looped to the right. The left wing was bent up for the outboard 12 feet of the wing. Postaccident examination of the airplane's left tail wheel steering cable revealed that a swaged attachment had separated. The pilot said that during a touch and go landing, he heard a "bang." The left rudder pedal went to the floor, and the airplane ground looped to the right. The left wing was bent up for the outboard 12 feet of the wing. Postaccident examination of the airplane's left tail wheel steering cable revealed that a swaged attachment had separated. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2002_DEN02LA020.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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