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DEN06CA054

2006-03-31 · Benton, Kansas, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 1K1

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

the pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane resulting in a ground loop. Contributing factors include the inadequate preflight inspection, the pilot's failure to properly latch the cowling, and the pilot's diverted attention to the open cowling.

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, he had just departed Benton (1K1) when the cowling came open and he elected to return to 1K1. He stated that during the landing roll to runway 35, he "lost control of the airplane," ground looped, and departed the runway to the left. The right wing struck the ground and the outboard 4 feet of the wing was bent up 30 degrees. The wing skin was wrinkled and the main spar was bent. A post-accident examination of the airframe and airplane's systems, conducted by the FAA, revealed no anomalies. The pilot stated that he did not properly latch the cowling. The pilot had just departed when the cowling came open and he elected to return to the airport. The pilot stated that during the landing roll he lost control of the airplane, ground looped and departed the runway to the left, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. A post-accident examination of the airframe and airplane's systems revealed no anomalies. The pilot stated that he did not properly latch the cowling. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2006_DEN06CA054.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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