Event GAA17CA564

Factual narrative

According to the pilot in the high-performance, tailwheel-equipped bi-plane, he landed on a turf airstrip which he described as, "long and wide and there was no wind." During the landing roll, he piloted the airplane along the right edge of the runway, and the lower right wing struck a precision approach path indicator (PAPI) control box. The pilot reported that the accident was caused by a lack of situational awareness during the landing roll. The PAPI lights are identified in the airport facility directory. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower right-wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to the pilot in the high-performance, tailwheel-equipped biplane, he landed on a turf airstrip which he described as "long and wide." He added that "there was no wind." During the landing roll, he taxied the biplane along the right edge of the runway, and the lower right wing struck a precision approach path indicator (PAPI) control box. The pilot reported that the accident was caused by a lack of situational awareness during the landing roll. The PAPI lights were identified in the airport facility directory. The biplane sustained substantial damage to the lower right-wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the biplane 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 Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot - C
• C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Runway/taxi/approach light-Effect on operation - C