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CEN24LA136

2024-03-13 · Grind Stone City, Michigan, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 29C

Current FAA registration · N4159Y

Make / Model
BELLANCA 8GCBC
Year of manufacture
1977 · 47 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
3 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19970820
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A4EA5D

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll on a wet turf runway with a quartering tailwind.

Factual narrative

The pilot was conducting a flight in a tailwheel equipped airplane. During the landing, the airplane bounced, and then settled back to the runway. The tail of the airplane rose, the nose of the airplane dropped, and the propeller struck the ground. The airplane came to rest inverted resulting in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, both wings, and wing struts. The pilot noted that the airstrip was more wet than he anticipated. The pilot reported that the airplane had no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operations. Wind conditions at the time of the accident were from 120° at 9 knots, the pilot landed on runway 36. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Effect on operation
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-Wet surface-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2024_CEN24LA136.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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