Skip to content

GAA16CA111

2015-11-22 · Covington, Tennessee, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport M04

Current FAA registration · N5786R

Make / Model
CESSNA 172G
Engine
CONT MOTOR 0-300 SER (145 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19980813
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A76F5B

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's loss of directional control during the landing roll in crosswind conditions, which resulted in a runway excursion, ground loop, and impact with the ground.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported the airplane "landed smoothly on the centerline", but during the landing roll, the wind shifted to a 90 degree right crosswind. The pilot applied crosswind correction and brakes, but the airplane veered to the right, exited the runway, ground looped, and the right wing impacted the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and aileron, and left horizontal stabilizer and elevator. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported the airplane "landed smoothly on the centerline", but during the landing roll, the wind shifted to a 90 degree right crosswind. The pilot applied crosswind correction and brakes, but the airplane veered to the right, exited the runway, ground looped, and the right wing impacted the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and aileron, and left horizontal stabilizer and elevator. 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-Sudden wind shift-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_GAA16CA111.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