Event GAA17CA346

Factual narrative

The pilot in the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that he attempted a crosswind landing to the asphalt surface of runway 35. He had about 300 hours of total tailwheel flight time and he had 5 hours of flight time in the accident airplane. This was the pilot's first flight as the pilot in command. He recalled that the Automated Surface Observing System reported that the wind was from 050° at 5 kts. gusting to 21 kts. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered a gust of wind from the right and the tail ascended. The pilot lost directional control of the airplane and airplane faced southeast when another gust of wind lifted the left wing and the right wing struck the ground. The wind gust subsided and the airplane came to rest upright but it sustained substantial damage to the right wing, the right aileron and the elevator. Per the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented, if he had received more instruction from a Federal Aviation Administration Certificated Flight Instructor in the accident airplane that was specific to crosswind landings. "But more important, I should have flown the airplane to an airport with a runway that was more in line with the wind." The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that he attempted a crosswind landing to the asphalt surface of runway 35. He had about 300 hours of total tailwheel flight time, and he had 5 hours of flight time in the accident airplane. This was the pilot's first flight as the pilot-in-command. He recalled that the Automated Surface Observing System reported that the wind was from 050° at 5 knots, gusting to 21 knots. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered a wind gust from the right, and the tail lifted. The pilot lost directional control of the airplane, and the airplane faced southeast when another wind gust lifted the left wing, and the right wing struck the ground. The wind gust subsided, and the airplane came to rest upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, the right aileron, and the elevator. Per the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented if he had received more instruction from a Federal Aviation Administration certificated flight instructor in the accident airplane that was specific to crosswind landings. "But more important, I should have flown the airplane to an airport with a runway that was more in line with the wind." 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-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation - C