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GAA18CA241

2018-04-28 · Carrington, North Dakota, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 46D

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control and his subsequent excessive brake application during landing, which resulted in a nose-over.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that, during landing, the tailwheel-equipped airplane touched down "a little" crooked, veered to the right, and he attempted to correct with rudder, but the airplane ran off the right side of the runway into a field that "wasn't terribly rough". He added that he attempted to takeoff from the field, but "realized it wasn't going to happen before the approaching trees". Subsequently, he aborted the takeoff, applied the brakes, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left-wing lift strut. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The solo student pilot reported that, during landing, the tailwheel-equipped airplane touched down "a little" crooked, veered to the right, and he attempted to correct with rudder but the airplane ran off the right side of the runway into a field that "wasn't terribly rough." He added that he attempted to takeoff from the field, but "realized it wasn't going to happen before the approaching trees." Subsequently, he aborted the takeoff, applied the brakes, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left-wing lift strut. The student 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

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Surface speed/braking-Incorrect use/operation - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Rough terrain-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2018_GAA18CA241.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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