Event CEN24LA321

Factual narrative

Before the landing, the pilot told the flight instructor that he “wasn’t real comfortable” with the landing, as he had never landed to the particular runway before, which he classified as shorter and narrower. The flight instructor said the landing would be “okay,” and the pilot completed the before landing checklist with the tailwheel unlocked and full flaps applied for the three-point landing. After touchdown, the airplane bounced and immediately after the second touchdown, the airplane ground looped and departed the runway to the left. The right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing and the empennage impacted the ground. The airplane came to rest upright on a grass field next to the runway and the three occupants were able to egress from the airplane without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damaged to the fuselage, the right wing, and the empennage. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot further reported that a ground loop had occurred “very fast,” and the cause of the accident was “human error.” Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
• — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Instructor/check pilot
• — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
• — Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Task monitoring/vigilance-Pilot
• — Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Task monitoring/vigilance-Instructor/check pilot