SEA95LA067

Factual narrative

On March 15, 1995, at 1520 mountain standard time, a Cessna 140, N3605V, ground looped during a touch-and-go landing at Ogden, Utah. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. During a telephone interview and subsequent written statement, the pilot reported that this was his first solo flight, in a tailwheel airplane, since he had been signed off by his flight instructor as competent to act as Pilot-In-Command (PIC). The purpose of the flight was to practice touch-and-go landings. During the first landing, the pilot stated that his altitude was a little high on final approach and the airplane landed long down runway 34. After the airplane touched down, it bounced twice, each time veering into the left crosswind. The pilot added power to go-around, however, the airplane settled to the runway a third time and the right main landing gear collapsed. The airplane then skidded down the runway, damaging the right wing. The pilot's flight logbook indicates a total flight time of 148 hours, with 96 hours as PIC in all aircraft. The pilot reported a total of seven hours of dual instruction, with a flight instructor on board, in the tailwheel equipped accident airplane. The last flight with the flight instructor was on February 27, 1995. At the time of the accident, the winds were reported from 270 degrees at nine knots. The pilot was landing on runway 34. THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING HIS FIRST SOLO FLIGHT AFTER BEING CHECKED OUT IN A TAIL WHEEL EQUIPPED AIRPLANE, THE AIRPLANE WAS A LITTLE HIGH ON FINAL APPROACH, AND TOUCH DOWN WAS LONG DOWN THE RUNWAY. AFTER THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN, IT BOUNCED TWICE, EACH TIME VEERING INTO THE LEFT CROSSWIND. THE PILOT ADDED POWER TO GO-AROUND, HOWEVER, THE AIRPLANE SETTLED TO THE RUNWAY A THIRD TIME, AND THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. THE AIRPLANE THEN SKIDDED TO A STOP, DAMAGING THE RIGHT WING. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12