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GAA15CA213

2015-07-11 · Dauphin Island, Alabama, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 4R9

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's loss of directional control during the landing roll in gusty wind conditions which resulted in a ground loop and impact with terrain.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that during the landing roll, he encountered a gust of wind from the right. The tail of the airplane moved to the left, the left wing impacted the ground and the airplane ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. Winds reported from a nearby weather station were 180 degrees at 11 knots with gusts to 14 knots about the time of the accident. The pilot reported he was landing runway 12. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that during the landing roll, he encountered a gust of wind from the right. The tail of the airplane moved to the left, the left wing impacted the ground and the airplane ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The wind reported from a nearby weather station were 180 degrees at 11 knots with gusts to 14 knots about the time of the accident. The pilot reported he was landing runway 12. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine 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
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on equipment

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_GAA15CA213.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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