Skip to content

GAA19CA298

2019-05-31 · Sparta, Illinois, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport SAR

Current FAA registration · N530AK

Make / Model
PIPER PA-18-150
Year of manufacture
1956 · 63 years old at event
Engine
AMA/EXPR UNKNOWN ENG
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19560515
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A6B077

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a ground-loop.

Factual narrative

The pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that the airplane was equipped with 26-inch tundra tires, and that he performed a landing on the asphalt runway. The airplane touched down and the airplane veered to the right. The pilot applied left rudder and left brake but overcorrected the airplane's direction to the left. Subsequently, the airplane ground-looped to the left, and the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, while landing on an asphalt runway, the airplane touched down and then veered right. The pilot applied left rudder and left brake but overcorrected, and the airplane continued veering left. Subsequently, the airplane ground looped to the left, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. 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

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2019_GAA19CA298.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.