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ERA12CA370

2012-05-25 · Titusville, Florida, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport X21

N126SR has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (HUGHES 369A), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing.

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, he was performing the 6th or 7th touch-and-go landing of the day. The windsock indicated a slight crosswind from the left just prior to touchdown, but upon landing, a "very strong gust from the right" lifted the wing and pushed the airplane to the left. The pilot responded with adjustments in engine power, rudder, and aileron, but he was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane dragged a wing, ground looped, and the landing gear collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing and fuselage. After the accident, the pilot reported that there were no deficiencies in the performance and handling of his airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to the pilot, he was performing the sixth or seventh touch-and-go landing of the day. The windsock indicated a slight crosswind from the left just before touchdown, but, upon landing, a "very strong gust from the right" lifted the wing and pushed the airplane to the left. The pilot responded with adjustments in engine power, rudder, and aileron, but he was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane dragged a wing, ground looped, and the landing gear collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing and fuselage. After the accident, the pilot reported that there were no deficiencies in the performance and handling of his airplane that would have precluded normal operation. 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
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Ability to respond/compensate
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2012_ERA12CA370.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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