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ERA12CA374

2012-05-26 · Farmingdale, New Jersey, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport BLM

Current FAA registration · N4895A

Make / Model
PIPER PA-18A 150
Year of manufacture
1956 · 56 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O-360-A4M (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19810818
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A60D10

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s loss of directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a runway excursion.

Factual narrative

The pilot stated that he was landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane in gusty, crosswind conditions. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered a gust of wind and "weathervaned" to the right. The pilot applied rudder to correct, but the airplane continued right, traveled off the side of the runway, and ground looped, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. The operator reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector also revealed no anomalies. The pilot stated that he was landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane in gusty, crosswind conditions. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered a gust of wind and "weathervaned" to the right. The pilot applied left rudder, but the airplane continued right, traveled off the side of the runway, and ground looped, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. The operator reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Postaccident examination of the airplane also revealed no anomalies. 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-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2012_ERA12CA374.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.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion). All research papers