NTSB CAROL · Event
Event GAA17CA103
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s inadequate compensation for crosswind conditions during the go-around, which resulted in a loss of airplane control.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the low wing airplane reported that during the approach in variable crosswind conditions, the airplane encountered a gust of wind from the right for which he corrected and continued the approach. He further reported, that about 10 feet above the runway the airplane encountered another stronger gust of wind from the right and he decided to go around. During the go-around, the airplane encountered yet another gust of wind from the right; the right wing rose and the left wing dropped and contacted the ground. Subsequently, the airplane cartwheeled and came to rest on the left side of the runway. The pilot reported there were no pre accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. A review of local weather at approximately the time of the accident reported; wind direction 060 degrees true, at 6 knots. The pilot landed on runway 32. The pilot of the low-wing airplane reported that, during the approach in variable crosswind conditions, the airplane encountered a wind gust from the right for which he corrected and that he then continued the approach. He further reported that, about 10 ft above the runway, the airplane encountered another stronger wind gust from the right and he decided to go around. During the go-around, the airplane encountered yet another wind gust from the right; the right wing rose ,and the left wing dropped and contacted the ground. Subsequently, the airplane cartwheeled and came to rest on the left side of the runway. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The local reported weather about the time of the accident included wind from 060° at 6 knots. The pilot landed on runway 32. 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 Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Lateral/bank control-Not attained/maintained - C
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Crosswind correction-Not attained/maintained - C
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Response/compensation - C
- C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2016_GAA17CA103.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (go-around). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2025 · Conference Paper
A Training Study to Improve Monitoring During A Go-Around
As part of an FAA program to improve go-around (GA) safety, we were asked to determine if we could improve the performance of the Pilot Monitoring (PM) during a GA maneuver.
- Flight Safety Foundation 2024 · FSF / AeroSafety World
Go-Around Safety Forum Findings
Foundation Go-Around Safety Forum technical findings — examines why pilots fail to execute go-arounds when criteria are met (stabilized approach gate not met, energy state out of envelope, traffic con…
- Semantic Scholar 2022 · Article (Journal of Safety Research)
Go-around accidents and general aviation safety.
INTRODUCTION Changes in General Aviation (GA) accident rates, specifically in the go-around phase, are examined by comparing the number of accidents, the proportion of fatal accidents, and the proport…
- Semantic Scholar 2021 · Article (Aerospace)
Classification and Analysis of Go-Arounds in Commercial Aviation Using ADS-B Data
Go-arounds are a necessary aspect of commercial aviation and are conducted after a landing attempt has been aborted. It is necessary to conduct go-arounds in the safest possible manner, as go-arounds …
- NASA NTRS 2021 · Accepted Manuscript (Version with final changes)
Go-Around Criteria Refinement for Transport Category Aircraft
Presently, airline pilots are trained to go around if, when lower than 500 ft above the ground, they are outside of a handful of parameters such as airspeed, position, and rate of descent.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Validation of Proposed Go-Around Criteria Under Various Environmental Conditions
This paper evaluates the effects of environmental conditions on touchdown performance under varying approach states and validates proposed go-around criteria developed using data from a previously con…
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