Maule MXT-7-180A N10484

Summary

On 12 May 2007 at about 18:00 local time, a Maule MXT-7-180A registered N10484 was involved in an accident near Red Lodge, Montana, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 May 2007 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Red Lodge, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Red Lodge Airport (RED)

Coordinates

45.1872, -109.2672

Aircraft

Maule MXT-7-180A

Registration

N10484

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Laramie → Red Lodge

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX07CA164

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate compensation for gusty crosswind conditions and failure to maintain proper runway alignment that resulted in dragging a wing and ground looping. Also causal was the pilot's delayed decision to abort the landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane encountered a crosswind gust, drifted off the runway, dragged a wing, and ground looped during the pilot's attempted landing. The pilot said that while on short final to the active runway, the airplane encountered a wind shear and crosswind gusts. The airplane descended rapidly and the pilot added full engine power in an attempt to abort the landing. The airplane drifted to the right of the runway centerline and he realized that it would not be able to achieve the performance necessary to climb out. The pilot retarded the throttle to idle and elected to land. The right wing contacted uneven terrain adjacent to the runway and the airplane ground looped. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.