NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA14CA201
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the tailwind conditions and failure to maintain directional control during landing.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that after returning to the airfield from a local flight, he elected to land on runway 36 and acknowledged the presence of a quartering tailwind on final approach. After touchdown, the airplane continued to the left, departed the runway, and collided with a ditch. Examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the left and right wings respectively. The reported wind at the airport about the time of the accident was from 160 degrees at 7 knots, gusting to 14 knots. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot stated that after returning to the airfield from a local flight, he elected to land on runway 36 and acknowledged the presence of a quartering tailwind on final approach. After touchdown, the airplane continued to the left, departed the runway, and collided with a ditch. Examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the left and right wings respectively. The reported wind at the airport about the time of the accident was from 160 degrees at 7 knots, gusting to 14 knots. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. 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).
- 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
- C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Response/compensation - C
- — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-(general)-Contributed to outcome
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2014_ERA14CA201.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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