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ERA10CA257

2010-05-06 · Fort Pierce, Florida, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport FL37

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during a crosswind landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that he was practicing touch and go landings with the tailwheeled airplane to runway 27. During his seventh landing, the "wind velocity increased and a crosswind developed." As the airplane touched down, it veered to the left and departed the grass runway. The pilot reduced engine power and attempted to regain control; however, the airplane’s left wing impacted a tree, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane. A weather observation taken approximately at the time of the accident, 15 miles from the accident site, recorded the wind as 190 degrees at 14 knots. The pilot reported that he was practicing touch and go landings with the tailwheeled airplane to runway 27. During his seventh landing, the "wind velocity increased and a crosswind developed." As the airplane touched down, it veered to the left and departed the grass runway. The pilot reduced engine power and attempted to regain control; however, the airplane’s left wing impacted a tree, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane. A weather observation taken approximately at the time of the accident, 15 miles from the accident site, recorded the wind as 190 degrees at 14 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incomplete action-Pilot - C
  • Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_ERA10CA257.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

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