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GAA19CA184

2019-03-31 · Afton, Wyoming, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport AFO

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing and loss of directional control and the airplane’s subsequent impact with a snowbank and nose-over during an attempted go-around.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, upon landing, the airplane bounced twice and started to veer left. He immediately applied power to go-around, but the main gear struck a snow bank, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left and right wings. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. About the time of the accident, the automated weather reporting station reported that the wind was calm. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 34. The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, upon landing, the airplane bounced twice and started to veer left. He immediately applied power to go around, but the main landing gear struck a snowbank, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left and right wings. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact 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 Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot
  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Snow/ice-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2019_GAA19CA184.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (go-around). All research papers