Event GAA17CA246

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that after several attempts to land, the wind had changed to a more favorable direction and "[he] was confident in [landing] the plane". He added that the approach was uneventful, but during the landing roll "a cross wind started pushing the aircraft and tail left". Subsequently, the airplane ground looped to the right. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, left wing aileron and right wing rear spar. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation system on the airport, about the time of the accident, reported the wind at 180° at 10 knots. The pilot landed on runway 8L. The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, after several attempts to land, the wind had changed to a more favorable direction and that "[he] was confident in [landing] the plane." He added that the approach was uneventful but that, during the landing roll, "a cross wind started pushing the aircraft and tail left." Subsequently, the airplane ground looped to the right. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, left wing aileron, and right wing rear spar. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation system on the airport, about the time of the accident, reported that the wind was from 180° at 10 knots. The pilot landed on runway 8L. 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-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-Crosswind-Effect on operation