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GAA15CA201

2015-07-23 · Warsaw, Missouri, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport RAW

Current FAA registration · N81686

Make / Model
AERONCA 7BCM
Year of manufacture
1945 · 70 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR C85 SERIES (85 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19570528
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AB2335

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion and a collision with terrain.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that his 3-point touchdown in the tailwheel equipped airplane was normal, but during the ground roll the airplane started to veer to the right. He attempted to correct with the left rudder, but the airplane departed the runway to the right and impacted a ditch. The pilot reported that his pant leg may have gotten caught on the right heel brake. The fuselage and firewall sustained substantial damage. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that his 3-point touchdown in the tailwheel equipped airplane was normal, but during the ground roll the airplane started to veer to the right. He attempted to correct with the left rudder, but the airplane departed the runway to the right and impacted a ditch. The pilot reported that his pant leg may have gotten caught on the right heel brake. The fuselage and firewall sustained substantial damage. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures 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 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

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_GAA15CA201.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