Event GAA18CA269

Factual narrative

According to the student pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, during his initial solo-flight in the airport traffic pattern, he performed a go-around because "I did not like my approach". Following his next approach, he recalled that the airplane encountered a crosswind gust from the left, when the airplane touched down on the gravel runway. He believed that the wind had shifted, and the airplane's tail was "blown" to the right and the nose of the airplane turned to the left. The airplane moved from the crown of the runway onto down sloping edge and the tailwheel entered the soft gravel. The weight of the airplane shifted in the direction of the airplane's momentum and the right wing tip struck the ground. The airplane exited the left side of the runway before it came to rest. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar. The nearest METAR was 9 miles south of the accident site and reported that about the time of the accident, the wind was from 280° at 7 knots. The airplane landed on runway 8. The pilot reported that the wind at the time of the accident was variable at 6 knots, and gusting to 10 knots. Per the National Transportation Safety Board, Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, in the Recommendation section, the student pilot asserted that, "I should have caught that there had been a wind shift between my touch and go and when I ground looped my aircraft. In preparation for landing a final check of the windsock needs to be done, every time. If there is a crosswind, a wing low approach would have helped avoid losing control of the aircraft when I touched down." The student pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to the student pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, during his initial solo flight in the airport traffic pattern, he performed a go-around because "I did not like my approach." Following the next approach, he recalled that the airplane encountered a left crosswind gust when the airplane touched down on the gravel runway. He believed that the wind had shifted, and the airplane's tail was "blown" to the right, and its nose turned to the left. The airplane moved from the crown of the runway onto the down-sloping runway edge, and the tailwheel entered the soft gravel. The right wing tip then struck the ground, and the airplane exited the left side of the runway before it came to rest. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar. The nearest METAR, located 9 miles south of the accident site, reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 280° at 7 knots. The airplane landed on runway 8. The pilot reported that the wind at the time of the accident was variable at 6 knots, gusting to 10 knots. The student reported that, "I should have caught that there had been a wind shift between my touch and go and when I ground looped my aircraft. In preparation for landing a final check of the windsock needs to be done, every time. If there is a crosswind, a wing low approach would have helped avoid losing control of the aircraft when I touched down." The student reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Effect on operation
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-Soft surface-Contributed to outcome