PA-18/19 Super Cub
Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Flight Engineer
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 25; Flight Crew Total 27000; Flight Crew Type 350
Situational Awareness
Ground Event / Encounter Ground Strike - Aircraft; Inflight Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged
Human Factors; Weather
I ground looped a Super Cub after clearing [the runway]. I had been doing touch and goes (4) and decided to do a full stop. After I landed I exited the paved surface of the glider strip runway and proceeded onto the adjacent grass glider strip landing area. Approximately half way through the right turn the left wing went down and I could not bring it back up before it contacted the ground. I parked the aircraft at the tie down area and inspected the left main tire and the left wing tip. Both had dust and dirt on them. I cleaned the dust and dirt off the wing tip and saw scratches and two small breaks (eraser tip size) in the fabric paint at the wing tip. I did not see any other aircraft damage at that time. However; I had never ground looped an aircraft before; so I wanted to make sure I had not damaged it. I taxied the aircraft to a local A&P that I knew was working today. I asked him to inspect the aircraft to see if he could detect any damage that I had not seen earlier. He and I both inspected the aircraft together and both of us saw; at the same time; winkled fabric on the top of the left wing that I had not see earlier. He told me this might indicate a compressed or bent rear spar. On closer examination from several different angles the rear spar did indeed appear to be bent.
Super Cub pilot reported ground looping his aircraft resulting in rear spar damage.