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GAA16CA083

2015-12-17 · Friendswood, Texas, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 7XS0

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's loss of directional control during an aborted landing, which resulted in a collision with a tree and impact with the ground.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that during the second landing of his flight, the airplane bounced twice and veered left. He reported that as the airplane was about to exit the left side of the runway, he applied full power to abort the landing. The student pilot reported that the airplane collided with a tree 60 feet above the ground on the left side of runway, spun around 270 degrees in the air and impacted the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The solo student pilot reported that during the second landing of his flight, the airplane bounced twice and veered left. He reported that as the airplane was about to exit the left side of the runway, he applied full power to abort the landing. The student pilot reported that the airplane collided with a tree 60 feet above the ground on the left side of runway, spun around 270 degrees in the air and impacted the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were 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-Student/instructed 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_GAA16CA083.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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