Event GAA17CA460

Factual narrative

The pilot in command of the tailwheel-equipped airplane was in the rear seat during the personal flight. The owner of the airplane was in the front seat of the airplane. The pilot in command made an approach to runway 17. He reported that just before the landing gear touched down, the airplane encountered a wind gust from the right. The nose of the airplane turned to the right and the airplane touched down on the runway. During the landing roll, the airplane exited the right side of the runway. The owner of the airplane came on the controls and the airplane struck a runway light, then ground looped to the left. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer and the upper left side of the fuselage just aft of the cabin. The pilot reported that the wind was from 210° at 8 knots. The nearest METAR, 25 miles northeast of the airport, reported that about the time of the accident the wind was from 260° at 6 knots and variable between 230° and 290°. The skies were clear with 9 statute miles of visibility. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Per the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot noted that the accident could have been prevented if he had carried more airspeed during the landing to combat the wind conditions. The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane was in the rear seat during the personal flight, and the airplane owner was in the front seat. The pilot made an approach to runway 17. He reported that, just before the landing gear touched down, the airplane encountered a wind gust from the right. The airplane's nose turned to the right, and the airplane touched down on the runway. During the landing roll, the airplane exited the right side of the runway. The airplane owner then took control of the airplane, which subsequently struck a runway light and then ground looped to the left. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer and the upper left side of the fuselage just aft of the cabin. The pilot reported that the wind was from 210° at 8 knots. The nearest METAR located 25 miles northeast of the airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 260° at 6 knots and variable between 230° and 290°. The skies were clear with 9 statute miles of visibility. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Per the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot noted that the accident could have been prevented if he had carried more airspeed during the landing to combat the wind conditions. 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 Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Variable wind-Effect on operation - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Runway/taxi/approach light-Contributed to outcome