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GAA16CA030

2015-10-23 · Placerville, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport PVF

Current FAA registration · N169JG

Make / Model
MCPHERSON JOHN G PIETENPOL AIRCAMPER
Year of manufacture
2014 · 1 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR A-65-8F (65 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20141101
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A113EC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's loss of directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a runway excursion and an impact with terrain.

Factual narrative

The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that he encountered terrain induced turbulence over the runway threshold and bounced on the touchdown. During the landing roll, the left wing rose and the airplane began a "sweeping turn to the left." He attempted to correct with right rudder and brake, but the airplane exited the runway to the left, traveled about 25 feet down an embankment, and came to a stop. The right wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot stated there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that he encountered terrain induced turbulence over the runway threshold and bounced on the touchdown. During the landing roll, the left wing rose and the airplane began a "sweeping turn to the left." He attempted to correct with right rudder and brake, but the airplane exited the runway to the left, traveled about 25 feet down an embankment, and came to a stop. The right wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot stated 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 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-Turbulence-Terrain induced turbulence-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_GAA16CA030.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, turbulence). All research papers