NTSB CAROL · Event
Event GAA17CA330
Registry · N218DL
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
BOEING B75N1
Year of manufacture
1943 · 74 years old at event
Engine
P&W R-985 SERIES (450 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19810526
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A1D790
Registrant of record
KAYDET 218 GROUP LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s aggressive and early forward stick application during the landing roll, which resulted in his failure to maintain pitch control and a subsequent nose-over.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that he was performing a wheel landing on a turf surface runway. He recalled that he was too aggressive and too early moving the stick forward during the touchdown and landing roll. The airplane's tail ascended, the nose pitched down and the propeller stuck the ground. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and the rudder. Per the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented, "by not being so early moving the stick forward in a taildragger during a wheel landing." The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that he was performing a wheel landing on a turf runway. He recalled that he was too aggressive and too early moving the stick forward during the touchdown and landing roll. The airplane's tail lifted, the nose pitched down, and the propeller stuck the ground. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and the rudder. Per the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented "by not being so early moving the stick forward in a taildragger during a wheel landing." The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. 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-Pitch control-Not attained/maintained - C
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - C
- C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action sequence-Pilot - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2017_GAA17CA330.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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