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GAA16CA154

2016-03-22 · Allison, Iowa, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport K98

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper soft-field landing technique, which resulted in a nose landing gear collapse and a nose over.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that while landing on a grass airstrip, the nose landing gear "caught" on the soft turf and collapsed. The airplane slid about 60 feet, the forward portion of the fuselage impacted terrain, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, rudder, vertical stabilizer, and firewall. The pilot verified that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. As a safety recommendation, the pilot reported to keep the nose landing gear off the ground longer during the landing. The pilot reported that while landing on a grass airstrip, the nose landing gear "caught" on the soft turf and collapsed. The airplane slid about 60 feet, the forward portion of the fuselage impacted terrain, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, rudder, vertical stabilizer, and firewall. The pilot verified that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. As a safety recommendation, the pilot reported to keep the nose landing gear off the ground longer during the landing. 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-Pitch control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-Soft-Ability to respond/compensate

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2016_GAA16CA154.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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