Event GAA20CA046

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, during landing, the main landing gear touched down followed by the tailwheel, and the airplane veered left. He corrected with right rudder, but the airplane continued left, exited the runway to the left, and ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right elevator. 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 main landing gear touched down, followed by the tailwheel, and the airplane veered left. He corrected with right rudder, but the airplane continued left, exited the runway, and ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right elevator. 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