Cessna 175 accident near Willimantic, Connecticut, July 27, 2013
On July 27, 2013 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 175, registered N9388B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Willimantic, Connecticut (Windham Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 2013 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Willimantic, Connecticut · Windham Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175 · all 175s on the register
- Registration
- N9388B · registry record · serial 55188
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane on a paved runway. During the landing roll, a ground witness heard a “shimmy” when the tailwheel made contact with the paved surface. The airplane departed the right side of the runway into grass, where it ground-looped. Postaccident examination revealed that the tailwheel’s left side mounting bolts were found stripped, and the tailwheel was canted to the right; however, there were no wear signatures on the tire to indicate that it had contacted the runway in a canted position. Based on the available information, it is most likely that the tailwheel mounting bolts were damaged during the accident sequence as a result of side-loading forces that occurred when the pilot failed to maintain directional control during the landing.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- 552230 during descent - emergency
- 552300 during descent - emergency
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, APLN, none
- Flight time: 1,350 hours in all; 1,100 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,225 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 7, 2012
- Medical certificate: class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 402 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, July 9, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: 9B8 Marlborough CT at 2:00 pm
- Destination: IJD Willimantic CT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,799 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°C, dew point 61°C
- Altimeter: 30.059999 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 pm from IJD, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA13LA343.