SEA99LA154
1999-09-04 · COLUMBUS, Montana, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Airport 6S3
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control. A wet runway surface was a factor.
Factual narrative
On September 4, 1999, approximately 0830 mountain daylight time, a Bellanca 7GCBC, N8525, registered to and operated by the pilot, was substantially damaged in a ground loop on landing at Columbus, Montana. The private pilot-in-command and his passenger were not injured in the accident. The 14 CFR 91 personal flight originated at Laurel, Montana, about 30 minutes prior to the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight. In a written statement, the pilot reported that the runway was wet or damp. The sky was clear, with calm winds. During the landing roll, braking action was applied and the aircraft skidded to the right and veered off the runway. The aircraft ground-looped and came to rest in the mud next to the runway. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the aircraft at the time of the accident. The pilot reported that during the landing roll on a wet runway surface, he applied braking action and the airplane skidded to the right and veered off the runway. The aircraft ground-looped and came to rest in the mud next to the runway. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane at the time of the accident. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1999_SEA99LA154.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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