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GAA16CA215

2016-05-01 · Boise, Idaho, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport BOI

Current FAA registration · N5700R

Make / Model
CESSNA 172F
Year of manufacture
1965 · 51 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR 0-300 SER (145 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19650804
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A750D1

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's decision to land with a quartering tailwind and failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a runway excursion and ground loop.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during the landing flare he encountered a left quartering tailwind and the airplane started to drift to the right. The pilot further reported that during the landing roll the airplane veered to the left off the runway and ground looped. The right elevator was substantially damaged. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that during the landing flare he encountered a left quartering tailwind and the airplane started to drift to the right. The pilot further reported that during the landing roll the airplane veered to the left off the runway and ground looped. The right elevator was substantially damaged. The pilot did not report any 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 Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Ability to respond/compensate

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2016_GAA16CA215.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