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GAA16CA366

2016-07-10 · Grants Pass, Oregon, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 3S8

Current FAA registration · N9185Z

Make / Model
HELIO H-295
Year of manufacture
1966 · 50 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING GO-480 SERIES (295 hp)
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20020204
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S ACB782

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll in gusty crosswind conditions, which resulted in a runway excursion and a ground loop.

Factual narrative

The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that during the landing roll, he encountered a crosswind gust from the right. Subsequently, the airplane swerved off the runway to the right and ground looped. During the ground loop, the left wing and left horizontal stabilizer impacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported on the National Transportation Safety Board Accident/ Incident Report Form 6120.1, the wind direction was variable at 8 to 9 knots, with gusts at 2 to 5 knots. The destination airport was not equipped with an automated weather observation system. The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that during the landing roll, he encountered a crosswind gust from the right. Subsequently, the airplane swerved off the runway to the right and ground looped. During the ground loop, the left wing and left horizontal stabilizer impacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage.  The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported on the National Transportation Safety Board Accident/ Incident Report Form 6120.1, the wind direction was variable at 8 to 9 knots, with gusts at 2 to 5 knots. The destination airport was not equipped with an automated weather observation system. 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-Wind-Crosswind-Ability to respond/compensate
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Ability to respond/compensate

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2016_GAA16CA366.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion). All research papers