Event GAA19CA293

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during landing, the left wing raised and the airplane "violently turned left." The pilot attempted to recover, but the airplane ground looped and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, right wing lift strut, and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the wind was variable at 11 knots, gusting to 15 knots. The nearest automated weather observation station, located 20 miles northwest, reported that, about 14 minutes after the accident, the wind was 230° at 3 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 31. The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during landing, the left wing raised, and the airplane "violently turned left." The pilot attempted to recover, but the airplane ground looped and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, right wing lift strut, and rudder. The 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

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C