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ANC12CA030

2012-04-15 · Fairbanks, Alaska, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport PAFA

Current FAA registration · N7227D

Make / Model
PIPER PA-22-150
Year of manufacture
1957 · 55 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19570322
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A9AE4B

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s loss of directional control during landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision not to initiate a go-around.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that he was landing his tailwheel-equipped airplane on a hard surfaced runway. About 6 inches above the runway, a gust of wind lifted the right wing, the left main landing gear contacted the runway, and the airplane began to turn to the left. He said he was unable to correct for the turn with rudder, and the airplane ground looped to the left, striking the right wing on the ground. The airplane received substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He stated that the accident could have been prevented had a go-around decision been made at the initial recognition of the wind gust. The pilot reported that he was landing his tailwheel-equipped airplane on a hard surfaced runway. About 6 inches above the runway, a gust of wind lifted the right wing, the left main landing gear contacted the runway, and the airplane began to turn to the left. The pilot said that he was unable to correct for the turn with rudder, and the airplane ground looped to the left, striking the right wing on the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He stated that the accident could have been prevented had a go-around decision been made at the initial recognition of the wind gust. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • F Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - F
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2012_ANC12CA030.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (go-around). All research papers