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GAA19CA434

2019-06-30 · Stafford, Virginia, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport RMN

Current FAA registration · N748JS

Make / Model
SMITH DONALD JOE JR SMITH SPECIAL SKYBOL
Year of manufacture
2017 · 2 years old at event
Engine
VEDENEYEV M14P (350 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20180425
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AA111B

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain the runway heading during an aborted go-around, which resulted in a hard landing.

Factual narrative

The biplane pilot reported that, during landing, the airplane touched down right of the centerline and the propeller struck the runway. He added power to go-around, but the airplane drifted right, so he maneuvered the airplane to the grass field to the right of the runway and shut off the engine. He then leveled the airplane, the airplane landed hard, and the main landing gears collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing "I" strut. 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, during landing, the biplane touched down right of the centerline, and the propeller struck the runway. He added power to go around, but the biplane drifted right, so he maneuvered it toward a grass field right of the runway and shut off the engine. He then leveled the biplane, and it subsequently landed hard, and the main landing gear collapsed. The biplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing "I" strut. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the biplane 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-Heading/course-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2019_GAA19CA434.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

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