Narrative:

During a tail wheel training flight; the cfii instructor with over 150 hours of tail wheel time was demonstrating a wheel landing. The winds were relatively light and the instructor lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft departed the runway and made a 180 degree turn before coming to rest. There was no damage to the airplane; airport equipment or injury. The crew tried to taxi the aircraft off of the grass and back onto the runway but the aircraft got stuck in the snow. The crew then shut the airplane down and moved it to the best of their abilities. One of the mechanics at the airport came by and helped the crew taxi the airplane to its parking spot on the airport. The instructor who has over 150 hours of tail wheel experience (roughly 1/2 as PIC) is not used to tandem; tail wheel aircraft. The instructor has minimal experience in this particular type of aircraft. Initially the landing was thought to be smooth and good; however; a premature dropping of the tail allowed the aircraft wings (which were still producing lift) to begin WX vaning into the wind. The instructor applied correction but was about 1/4 of a second behind the airplane. The crew prevented the wing from touching the ground and aside from being shaken up; there was no damage. The instructor is now seeking additional dual in the same type of aircraft to build proficiency up. Other human factors that may have caused this occurrence were the crew's invincible attitude. There was a sense of overconfidence; although the cfii instructor never really felt completely confident in that particular aircraft. Some stressors were the student's late arrival to the lesson and the temperature outside of about -15 degrees F with light winds. The CC18 has a very limited heater. The student and instructor had been used to operating the CC18 aircraft on the grass runways which were covered in a layer of snow and ice after recent storms and thus closed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CC18 INSTRUCTOR PILOT GROUND LOOPS WHILE ATTEMPTING A WHEEL LANDING.

Narrative: DURING A TAIL WHEEL TRAINING FLT; THE CFII INSTRUCTOR WITH OVER 150 HRS OF TAIL WHEEL TIME WAS DEMONSTRATING A WHEEL LNDG. THE WINDS WERE RELATIVELY LIGHT AND THE INSTRUCTOR LOST CTL OF THE ACFT. THE ACFT DEPARTED THE RWY AND MADE A 180 DEG TURN BEFORE COMING TO REST. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE; ARPT EQUIP OR INJURY. THE CREW TRIED TO TAXI THE ACFT OFF OF THE GRASS AND BACK ONTO THE RWY BUT THE ACFT GOT STUCK IN THE SNOW. THE CREW THEN SHUT THE AIRPLANE DOWN AND MOVED IT TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITIES. ONE OF THE MECHS AT THE ARPT CAME BY AND HELPED THE CREW TAXI THE AIRPLANE TO ITS PARKING SPOT ON THE ARPT. THE INSTRUCTOR WHO HAS OVER 150 HRS OF TAIL WHEEL EXPERIENCE (ROUGHLY 1/2 AS PIC) IS NOT USED TO TANDEM; TAIL WHEEL ACFT. THE INSTRUCTOR HAS MINIMAL EXPERIENCE IN THIS PARTICULAR TYPE OF ACFT. INITIALLY THE LNDG WAS THOUGHT TO BE SMOOTH AND GOOD; HOWEVER; A PREMATURE DROPPING OF THE TAIL ALLOWED THE ACFT WINGS (WHICH WERE STILL PRODUCING LIFT) TO BEGIN WX VANING INTO THE WIND. THE INSTRUCTOR APPLIED CORRECTION BUT WAS ABOUT 1/4 OF A SECOND BEHIND THE AIRPLANE. THE CREW PREVENTED THE WING FROM TOUCHING THE GND AND ASIDE FROM BEING SHAKEN UP; THERE WAS NO DAMAGE. THE INSTRUCTOR IS NOW SEEKING ADDITIONAL DUAL IN THE SAME TYPE OF ACFT TO BUILD PROFICIENCY UP. OTHER HUMAN FACTORS THAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THIS OCCURRENCE WERE THE CREW'S INVINCIBLE ATTITUDE. THERE WAS A SENSE OF OVERCONFIDENCE; ALTHOUGH THE CFII INSTRUCTOR NEVER REALLY FELT COMPLETELY CONFIDENT IN THAT PARTICULAR ACFT. SOME STRESSORS WERE THE STUDENT'S LATE ARR TO THE LESSON AND THE TEMP OUTSIDE OF ABOUT -15 DEGS F WITH LIGHT WINDS. THE CC18 HAS A VERY LIMITED HEATER. THE STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR HAD BEEN USED TO OPERATING THE CC18 ACFT ON THE GRASS RWYS WHICH WERE COVERED IN A LAYER OF SNOW AND ICE AFTER RECENT STORMS AND THUS CLOSED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.