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Atlas / NTSB / GAA17CA413

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event GAA17CA413

2017-06-15 Van Nuys, California, United States Airport · VNY None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during the landing roll, the airplane drifted to the right and he corrected with rudder, but then the airplane "started to pull" to the left. He added that his "rudder input failed to stop the plane from continuing to the left", the airplane ground looped to the left, and the right wing tip hit the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during the landing roll, the airplane drifted to the right and he corrected with rudder but then the airplane "started to pull" to the left. He added that his "rudder input failed to stop the plane from continuing to the left," the airplane ground looped to the left, and the right wingtip hit the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2017_GAA17CA413.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.