Event GAA17CA181

Factual narrative

The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that after 12 to 13 touch-and-go landings on a grass runway in crosswind conditions, he planned to complete a full stop landing. He added that during the landing roll, the airplane "departed the runway to the right" into marshy terrain and nosed over. The vertical stabilizer and rudder sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to a Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Safety Inspector, a few hours after the accident he inspected the grass runway and found no abnormalities with the surface. The nearest automated weather observation station 12 nautical miles from the accident airport, about the time of the accident, recorded wind 190° at 7 knots. The pilot reported that he landed on runway 26 left. The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, after completing 12 to 13 touch-and-go landings on a grass runway in crosswind conditions, he planned to complete a full-stop landing. He added that, during the landing roll, the airplane "departed the runway to the right" into marshy terrain and nosed over. The vertical stabilizer and rudder sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to a Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Safety Inspector, a few hours after the accident, he examined the grass runway and found no abnormalities with the surface. The nearest automated weather observation station, located 12 nautical miles from the accident airport, about the time of the accident, recorded wind from 190° at 7 knots. The pilot reported that he landed on runway 26 left. 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 Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Wet/muddy terrain-Contributed to outcome
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Response/compensation