Event GAA16CA384

Factual narrative

The private pilot reported that during a local flight in the aerobatic biplane, he performed an aerobatic flight maneuver about 2,000 feet above ground level. He reported that he performed a left wing over, the airplane entered an unintentional spin and he recovered from the spin too low to the ground. The airplane impacted trees and came to rest upright, but sustained substantial damage to both wings, fuselage and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operations. The private pilot reported that during a local flight in the aerobatic biplane, he performed an aerobatic flight maneuver about 2,000 feet above ground level. He reported that he performed a left wing over, the airplane entered an unintentional spin and he recovered from the spin too low to the ground. The airplane impacted trees and came to rest upright, but sustained substantial damage to both wings, fuselage and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operations. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Sloped/uneven terrain-Contributed to outcome
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Contributed to outcome