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GAA17CA182

2017-03-09 · Robbinsville, New Jersey, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport N87

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll in gusting wind conditions.

Factual narrative

The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during the landing roll, the airplane veered off the runway to the left. He added that he applied rudder inputs and full power to arrest the veer, but was unsuccessful. The airplane continued to veer off the runway and impacted a tree. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. A review of recorded data from the automated weather observation located about 10 miles north west of the accident airport reported that, about 7 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 280° at 14 knots, gusting to 21 knots. The airplane was landing runway 29. The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during the landing roll, the airplane veered off the runway to the left. He added that he applied rudder inputs and full power to arrest the veer but was unsuccessful. The airplane continued to veer off the runway and impacted a tree. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. An automated weather observation located about 10 miles northwest of the airport reported that, about 7 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 280° at 14 knots, gusting to 21 knots. The airplane was landing on runway 29. 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
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2017_GAA17CA182.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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