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GAA17CA038

2016-10-15 · Wilmington, Ohio, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport I66

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing, and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control, which resulted in a runway excursion.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that after the initial touchdown, the tailwheel equipped airplane bounced and "floated" as "he held the stick back". The airplane touched down again and began to porpoise, while "he continued to hold the stick back". He further reported that the airplane veered to the left and he attempted to correct with rudder inputs. Subsequently, the airplane exited the left side of the runway, encountered a grassy incline, and became airborne. He reported that he applied full throttle but the airplane did not gain altitude, he then saw trees ahead and elected to land the airplane. As the airplane contacted the ground it rolled forward, coming to rest in a nose down attitude. The pilot reported that there were no pre impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that after the initial touchdown, the tailwheel equipped airplane bounced and "floated" as "he held the stick back". The airplane touched down again and began to porpoise, while "he continued to hold the stick back". He further reported that the airplane veered to the left and he attempted to correct with rudder inputs. Subsequently, the airplane exited the left side of the runway, encountered a grassy incline, and became airborne. He reported that he applied full throttle but the airplane did not gain altitude, he then saw trees ahead and elected to land the airplane. As the airplane contacted the ground it rolled forward, coming to rest in a nose down attitude. The pilot reported that there were no pre impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine 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-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2016_GAA17CA038.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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