Event GAA17CA257

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, during the landing flare in gusting crosswind conditions, he realized that the descent rate was a "little fast/ heavy," so he "reached to [the] left to add power and smooth out [the] flare." He further reported that he mistakenly grabbed the "red knob," the mixture control, instead of the throttle to arrest the descent rate. Subsequently, the airplane continued to descend, bounced hard on the runway, and became airborne again. When the airplane settled back onto the runway, the nose landing gear collapsed, the propeller struck the runway, and the airplane veered off the runway to the left and nosed over. The fuselage and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. An automated weather observation station, at the accident airport, about the time of the accident, recorded wind 360° at 8 knots, gusting 15 knots. The pilot reported that the landing was on runway 28. The pilot reported that, during the landing flare in gusting crosswind conditions, he realized that the descent rate was a "little fast/ heavy," so he "reached to [the] left to add power and smooth out [the] flare." He further reported that he mistakenly grabbed the "red knob" (the mixture control), instead of the throttle, to arrest the descent rate. Subsequently, the airplane continued to descend, bounced hard on the runway, and became airborne again. When the airplane settled back onto the runway, the nose landing gear collapsed, the propeller struck the runway, and the airplane veered off the runway to the left and nosed over. The fuselage and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. An automated weather observation station at the accident airport recorded that, about the time of the accident, wind was from 360° at 8 knots, gusting 15 knots. The pilot reported that the landing was on runway 28. 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 Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action selection-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Fuel system-(general)-Unintentional use/operation - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Incorrect use/operation - C
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation