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GAA19CA376

2019-06-30 · Yakima, Washington, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport YKM

Current FAA registration · N4238M

Make / Model
PIPER PA-12
Year of manufacture
1947 · 72 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-235 SERIES (115 hp)
Seats / Engines
3 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19560623
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A50A40

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The separation of the left steering spring from the tailwheel assembly during landing for reasons that could not be determined, which resulted in a ground loop.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during the landing roll, he felt a "tailwheel shimmy." He attempted to correct with elevator to no avail. The airplane veered to the right, he attempted to add left brake, but the airplane quickly ground looped to the right. The left wing struck the runway. He then taxied the airplane to the ramp with difficulty. Postaccident examination revealed that the left tailwheel steering spring was missing. He added that the spring was present and operating normally during preflight and taxi before takeoff. Crash fire rescue personnel found the left steering spring on the runway while conducting an examination for runaway damage. In pictures provided by the pilot, the spring appeared undamaged. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The airport's automated weather observation station reported that, about 47 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 160° at 7 knots. The same automated station reported that, about 13 minutes after the accident, the wind was from 140° at 6 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 27. The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during the landing roll, he felt a "tailwheel shimmy." He attempted to correct with elevator to no avail. The airplane veered right, and he attempted to add left brake, but the airplane quickly ground looped to the right. The left wing struck the runway. He then taxied the airplane to the ramp with difficulty. The pilot reported that postaccident examination revealed that the left tailwheel steering spring was missing. He added that the spring was present and operating normally during preflight and taxi before takeoff. Crash fire rescue personnel found the left steering spring on the runway while conducting an examination for runway damage. In pictures provided by the pilot, the spring appeared undamaged. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Steering unit-Malfunction - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Attain/maintain not possible - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2019_GAA19CA376.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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