NTSB CAROL · Event
Event GAA19CA572
Registry · N4785F
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-18-150
Year of manufacture
1962 · 57 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19760317
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A5E1DF
Registrant of record
SOARING SOCIETY OF BOULDER INC
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, he made a normal three-point landing. During the landing roll, the airplane ground-looped to the left, and the left wing struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing spar and the rudder. The airport's METAR reported that about the time of the accident, the wind was calm. 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 he conducted a normal three-point landing. During the landing roll, the airplane ground looped to the left, and the left wing struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing spar and the 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 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_GAA19CA572.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Beyond the agency record
Search this event elsewhere.
Pre-filled searches into the sources where news + community discussion of aviation events lives. External sources are reported, not agency. Treat them as signal that something happened, not as fact about what happened.
Entity-clustered aviation events in the press — last 24 hr + 30-day archive.
Official agency record + docket.
Investigative docket: factual reports, photos, transcripts.
Long-running aviation incident database (Flight Safety Foundation).
Community NTSB synthesis blog — often has photos and witness reports.
Gold-standard aviation incident blog.
Aviation industry news search.
GA pilot forum — informed but rumor-prone.
GA pilot subreddit search.
Tail-number page — flight history (free tier limited).
AOPA Air Safety Institute search.
Mainstream press coverage. Recent events only.
Privacy-preserving news search.
External links open in a new tab. We don't ingest their content; we deep-link search queries.