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GAA18CA097

2017-12-21 · Monroe, Michigan, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport TTF

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot’s improper yaw control during the landing flare and the flight instructor’s failure to take remedial action, which resulted in a hard landing.

Factual narrative

The flight instructor reported that, the student pilot began to flare for a touch-and-go landing, when a wind gust yawed the airplane to the left. He added that the wind "dropped out", and the airplane landed hard with the nose low, which resulted in a nose landing gear collapse. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. A review of recorded data from the automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 5 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 140° at 6 knots. The flight instructor reported that the wind was variable at 10 knots, gusting 20 knots. The airplane landed on runway 21. The flight instructor reported that the student pilot began to flare for a touch-and-go landing when a wind gust yawed the airplane to the left. He added that the wind "dropped out," and the airplane landed hard with the nose low, which resulted in the nose landing gear collapsing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 5 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 140° at 6 knots. The flight instructor reported that the wind was variable at 10 knots, gusting to 20 knots. The airplane landed on runway 21. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Yaw control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Instructor/check pilot - C
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2017_GAA18CA097.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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