Skip to content

ERA15CA037

2014-10-28 · Rutland, Vermont, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport KRUT

Current FAA registration · N340BF

Make / Model
AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC S-2C
Year of manufacture
2003 · 11 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING AEIO-540 SER (260 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20030321
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A3BD6D

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing rollout in gusty crosswind conditions, which resulted in a ground loop and subsequent substantial damage to the airplane.

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, he overflew the runway, observed the windsock, and elected to perform a left quartering headwind landing. The approach and landing on runway 19 was "uneventful" and during the landing roll, the pilot applied left aileron and used both rudder pedals to maintain directional control. Then, the airplane began to veer to the left and "ground looped." The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder during the accident sequence. The pilot further reported that a mechanic indicated that the "tailwheel may be broken" which may have contributed to the ground loop. A postaccident examination revealed that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The winds reported at the airport about the time of the accident were from 120 degrees at 16 knots gusting to 23 knots. According to the pilot, he overflew the runway, observed the windsock, and elected to perform a left quartering headwind landing. The approach and landing on runway 19 was "uneventful" and during the landing roll, the pilot applied left aileron and used both rudder pedals to maintain directional control. Then, the airplane began to veer to the left and "ground looped." The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder during the accident sequence. The pilot further reported that a mechanic indicated that the "tailwheel may be broken" which may have contributed to the ground loop. A postaccident examination revealed that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The winds reported at the airport about the time of the accident were from 120 degrees at 16 knots gusting to 23 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-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_ERA15CA037.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.