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GAA18CA177

2018-03-12 · Snohomish, Washington, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport S43

Current FAA registration · N6509L

Make / Model
CESSNA 152
Year of manufacture
1980 · 38 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-235 SERIES (115 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19800423
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A89058

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s decision to land with a tailwind and in his failure to maintain pitch control of the airplane in gusting wind conditions.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during the landing flare, the airplane encountered a wind gust and the airplane pitched upward. During landing the airplane bounced twice and each time it touched down on the nose landing gear, and subsequently both wings struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left and the right-wing spar. The pilot reported that the wind at the airport about the time of the accident was from 100° at 12kts, gusting to 30kts. The pilot landed on runway 33. The pilot reported that, during the landing flare, the airplane encountered a wind gust and the airplane pitched upward. During landing, the airplane bounced twice and each time it touched down on the nose landing gear, and subsequently both wings struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left and the right-wing spar. The pilot reported that the wind at the airport about the time of the accident was from 100° at 12kts, gusting to 30kts. The pilot landed on runway 33. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Pitch control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation - C
  • C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Effect on operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2018_GAA18CA177.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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