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GAA17CA338

2017-06-14 · Estherville, Iowa, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport EST

Current FAA registration · N33764

Make / Model
PIPER PA-28-180
Year of manufacture
1975 · 42 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19750319
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A3B317

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's failure to maintain crosswind correction during a go-around in gusting wind conditions.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that, as the airplane entered ground effect, while landing in crosswind conditions, a gust of wind lifted the airplane and pushed it to the left. He added that he initiated a go-around and "[pushed] the nose down slightly to gain lift". He further added that, during the go-around, he "must have relaxed the aileron countering the wind", and a gust of wind pushed the airplane to the left. Subsequently, the airplane impacted the ground and spun around. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation system located on the airport reported, about 23 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 180° at 15 knots, gusting to 21 knots. The student pilot landed on runway 16. The solo student pilot reported that, as the airplane entered ground effect, while landing in crosswind conditions, a wind gust lifted the airplane and pushed it to the left. He added that he initiated a go-around and "[pushed] the nose down slightly to gain lift." He further added that, during the go-around, he "must have relaxed the aileron countering the wind," and a wind gust pushed the airplane to the left. Subsequently, the airplane impacted the ground and spun around. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation system located on the airport reported that, about 23 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 180° at 15 knots, gusting to 21 knots. The student pilot landed on runway 16.     Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Crosswind correction-Not attained/maintained - C
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2017_GAA17CA338.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (go-around). All research papers