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ERA17CA162

2017-04-20 · Leonardtown, Maryland, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 2W6

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing, and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control when he initiated a go-around.

Factual narrative

The private pilot, who was also the owner of the tailwheel-equipped airplane was landing after a local flight. The pilot stated that the airplane bounced during touchdown and he attempted a go-around, but the airplane veered to the left, resulting in a ground loop. During the ground loop, airplane's the right wing impacted runway lighting and sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The private pilot, who was also the owner of the tailwheel-equipped airplane, was landing after a local flight. The pilot stated that the airplane bounced during touchdown and that he attempted a go-around, but the airplane veered to the left, which resulted in a ground loop. During the ground loop, the airplane's right wing impacted runway lighting and sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the 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-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Runway/taxi/approach light-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2017_ERA17CA162.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (go-around). All research papers