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ANATOMY OF A GROUND LOOP by Ed Lloyd 
Recently, I had the displeasure of observing a Swift ground loop
first hand. I was landing behind the Swift and it was not a pretty
sight. I could not believe what was playing out in front of me. Before I
continue, there are certain ingredients that must be present for this
ground loop to develop.
-Experienced Swift pilot at the controls -Strange airfield with no Unicom -Healthy crosswind from the right at 45 degrees -Wind 25-30 Kts gusting -Touchdown a bit hot -Possible material failure of gear strut -Non-steerable tail wheel You get the picture? In hindsight you say, why not go around and try again, or go to another airfield where the runway is more favorably aligned to the wind, or land on a runway that is into the wind but closed. Those are all good ideas, but all thought of as I say, in hindsight. In actuality, I don't think the wind was the culprit. I think the touchdown speed was the demon here. The right gear leg fractured on touchdown right where the strut enters the gear fork. The fracture occurred through the gear leg bolt hole where the fork is held on the strut. Call it embrittlement or whatever, the fact is the rest of the landing roll was completed with the right gear in something other than a normal configuration. Throw in a gust of wind and from there the Swift pilot was "along for the ride". The pictures tell the story better than I can describe.
The Swift has been recovered and is back in
the shop undergoing repairs. Gear change, engine teardown and inspection,
new prop, cowling repair and it will be at Oshkosh in all it's original
glory. the globe temco swift homepage
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