GAA19CA219

Factual narrative

The pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, at dusk, he made a wheel landing on a mountain area asphalt runway. He recalled that shortly after a normal touchdown, during the landing roll, the tail lifted, and the nose of the airplane veered to the right. He applied rudder to correct the airplane's heading back to the runway centerline, but the pilot overcorrected, and the airplane exited the left side of the runway. He aborted the landing, and the airplane began to climb, but the left wing struck a "large bush" and the airplane impacted terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the empennage, and the elevator. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, at dusk, he made a wheel landing on an asphalt runway near mountains. He recalled that, shortly after a normal touchdown and during the landing roll, the tail lifted, and the nose veered right. He applied rudder to correct, but the pilot overcorrected, and the airplane exited the left side of the runway. He aborted the landing, and the airplane began to climb, but the left wing struck a large bush, and the airplane then impacted terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the empennage, and the elevator. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures 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 Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-(general)-Effect on operation - C