Event LAX98LA080

Factual narrative

On January 17, 1998, at 1510 hours Pacific standard time, a Cessna 150F, N7911F, ground looped on landing at the San Carlos, California, airport. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and the pilot/owner, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The personal flight originated from the Camarillo, California, airport at 1200 and was terminating at the time of the accident. The aircraft was modified by Supplemental Type Certificate to a conventional landing gear configuration. In a written statement to the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot reported that he did not sufficiently reduce the airspeed during the approach and the aircraft "bounced about 2-3 feet" on the touchdown. At that point, the seat slid backwards about 3 to 4 inches and the pilot stated that "this diversion was probable cause of [the] poor ability of [the] pilot to control [the] plane . . . effective control was lost." The aircraft then ground looped, turned approximately 90 degrees, and came to a stop upright on the runway. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector from the San Jose Flight Standards District Office, examination of the aircraft maintenance records showed that Airworthiness Directive 87-20-03R2, which pertains to the inspection of the seat tracks, had been complied with. The FAA inspector also reported that the pilot gave a verbal statement in which he reported that he had forgotten to engage the seat locking pin before the flight. The pilot also reported to the Safety Board that he had recently flown 30 hours in a Citabria tail dragger airplane and that " . . . [his] lack of landing practice in [a] Cessna 150 caused [the] bounce on landing." The aircraft was modified by STC to a conventional landing gear configuration. The pilot reported that he did not sufficiently reduce the airspeed during the approach and the aircraft 'bounced about 2-3 feet' on the touchdown. At that point, the seat slid backwards about 3 to 4 inches and the pilot stated that the abrupt seat movement caused his loss of control. The aircraft then ground looped, turned approximately 90 degrees, and came to a stop upright on the runway. Aircraft maintenance records disclosed that Airworthiness Directive 87-20-03R2, which pertains to the inspection of the seat tracks, had been complied with. The pilot reported to an FAA inspector that he had forgotten to engage the seat locking pin before the flight. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12