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GAA17CA029

2016-10-03 · Torrance, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport TOA

Current FAA registration · N232SL

Make / Model
AIRPLANE FACTORY (PTY) LTD THE SLING
Year of manufacture
2014 · 2 years old at event
Engine
ROTAX 912 IS (100 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20150414
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A21189

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's improper landing flare in crosswind conditions, which resulted in a porpoised hard landing and a runway excursion.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that during landing in crosswind conditions, the airplane "porpoised back into the air two or three times, finally striking the nose gear hard." He further reported that the nose gear had been damaged and the airplane veered off the runway to the right. The engine mounts sustained substantial damage. The student pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observing system at the accident airport, near the time of the accident, recorded the wind at 240 degrees true at 16 knots. The student pilot reported that the landing was on runway 29 right. The solo student pilot reported that during landing in crosswind conditions, the airplane "porpoised back into the air two or three times, finally striking the nose gear hard." He further reported that the nose gear had been damaged and the airplane veered off the runway to the right. The engine mounts sustained substantial damage. The student pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observing system at the accident airport, near the time of the accident, recorded the wind at 240 degrees true at 16 knots. The student pilot reported that the landing was on runway 29 right. 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-Student/instructed pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Incorrect use/operation - C
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2016_GAA17CA029.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