GAA17CA021

Factual narrative

According to the pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, after an hour long local flight, he returned to the airport from which he had departed, and noticed that he would be landing with a gusting, direct left crosswind. He made one low pass about 20 ft. above the ground, and "I felt the airplane was steady". He accomplished a go-around and initiated an approach. He recalled that he made a three-point landing and touched down about 50 miles per hour on the runway centerline. When the wheels touched down a gust of wind lifted the left wing, and he tried to compensate with aileron and throttle, but reported that he "was too slow to regain control of the airplane". He reported that the left wing struck the ground, the airplane exited the left side of the runway and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fire wall. The meteorological aerodrome report at the airport, at the time of the accident, was wind 180°, at 11 kts., gusting to 16 kts. The airplane landed on runway 27. According to the FAA-H-8083-3B Airplane Flying Handbook, specifically the section entitled Crosswind After-Landing Roll, pg. 8-15 and 8-16: Retaining control on the ground is a critical part of the after-landing roll, because of the weathervaning effect of the wind on the airplane. While the airplane is decelerating during the after-landing roll, more and more aileron is applied to keep the upwind wing from rising. Since the airplane is slowing down, there is less airflow around the ailerons and they become less effective. At the same time, the relative wind is becoming more of a crosswind and exerting a greater lifting force on the upwind wing. When the airplane is coming to a stop, the aileron control must be held fully toward the wind. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to the pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, after a 1-hour-long local flight, he returned to the departure airport and noticed that he would be landing with a gusting, direct left crosswind. He reported that he made one low pass about 20 ft above the ground and that he "felt the airplane was steady." He accomplished a go-around and initiated an approach. He recalled that he made a three-point landing and touched down about 50 mph on the runway centerline. When the wheels touched down, a wind gust lifted the left wing, and he tried to compensate with aileron and throttle, but he "was too slow to regain control of the airplane." He reported that the left wing struck the ground and that the airplane exited the left side of the runway and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the firewall. The METAR at the airport reported that, at the time of the accident, the wind was from 180° at 11 knots, gusting to 16 knots. The airplane landed on runway 27. According to the FAA-H-8083-3B Airplane Flying Handbook, "Crosswind After-Landing Roll," pages 8-15 and 8-16: Retaining control on the ground is a critical part of the after-landing roll, because of the weathervaning effect of the wind on the airplane. While the airplane is decelerating during the after-landing roll, more and more aileron is applied to keep the upwind wing from rising. Since the airplane is slowing down, there is less airflow around the ailerons and they become less effective. At the same time, the relative wind is becoming more of a crosswind and exerting a greater lifting force on the upwind wing. When the airplane is coming to a stop, the aileron control must be held fully toward the wind. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident 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 Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Crosswind correction-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Pilot - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation