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Atlas / NTSB / WPR23LA359

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR23LA359

2023-09-27 San Diego, California, United States Airport · SEE None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N9128K

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

STINSON 108-1

Year of manufacture

1947 · 76 years old at event

Engine

FRANKLIN 6A4150 SERIES (150 hp)

Seats / Engines

4 seats · 1 engine

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S ACA193

Registrant of record

DONALDSON MILFORD WAYNE JR TRUSTEE

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing in gusty wind conditions that resulted in a ground loop.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that upon arrival at the destination airport the reported wind conditions were variable wind at 10 knots gusting to 12 knots. The pilot reported that he performed a 3-point landing; on touch down, he was not able to maintain center line due to gusty southern crosswinds and the airplane ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
  • Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on equipment

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_WPR23LA359.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.