Skip to content

ERA10CA324

2010-06-21 · Jasper, Tennessee, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport APT

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot under instruction's failure to maintain directional control during landing, and his failure to relinquish the flight controls when directed.

Factual narrative

The flight instructor stated that he was providing instruction to a private pilot for a tail wheel endorsement. The pilot receiving instruction had previously made three touch and go landings without a problem. During the fourth landing, as the airplane touched down, the pilot receiving instruction began to add right rudder. The flight instructor "immediately" applied opposite rudder and brake to maintain control, and shouted “my plane, my plane." The pilot under instruction was "fighting" him on the rudder pedals, and the flight instructor stated, "let it go!" The flight instructor was maintaining the airplane on the runway with the use of the brake pedal, as evidenced by skid marks, until his seat failed and he slid aft. The pilot under instruction continued to apply right rudder, and the airplane ground looped to the right, impacting the ground, and buckling the wings and fuselage. No preexisting anomalies were noted with the airframe or flight controls. The flight instructor stated that he was providing instruction to a private pilot for a tailwheel endorsement. The pilot receiving instruction had previously made three touch-and-go landings without a problem. During the fourth landing, as the airplane touched down, the pilot receiving instruction began to add right rudder. The flight instructor "immediately" applied opposite rudder and brake to maintain control, and shouted “my plane, my plane." The pilot under instruction was "fighting" him on the rudder pedals, and the flight instructor stated, "let it go!" The flight instructor was maintaining the airplane on the runway with the use of the brake pedal, as evidenced by skid marks, until his seat failed and he slid aft. The pilot under instruction continued to apply right rudder, and the airplane ground looped to the right, impacting the ground, and buckling the wings and fuselage. No preexisting anomalies were noted with the airframe or flight controls. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action selection-Student pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Communication (personnel)-Following instructions-Student pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_ERA10CA324.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.