NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA23LA345
Registry · N39721
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
WACO UPF-7
Year of manufacture
1942 · 81 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR W670 SERIES (250 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19470425
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A49F82
Registrant of record
CRNIC PAUL C
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
A ground loop during landing resulting from a partial separation of the right main landing gear strut during takeoff.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, after takeoff in the vintage tailwheel-equipped biplane, he was notified via radio that the right main landing gear was partially separated from the airframe. The pilot, returned to the airport and during landing, he continued to fly the airplane down the runway with the right main landing gear in the air until the airplane decelerated and settled onto the turf runway. Once the airplane slowed, it “ground loop[ed]” and came to rest on the nose, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination revealed that the inner strut had separated from the outer strut but remained partially attached. 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).
- — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
- — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Main landing gear-Damaged/degraded
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2023_ERA23LA345.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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