NTSB CAROL · Event
Event SEA07CA104
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing, resulting in a ground loop/swerve and collapse of the nose landing gear. A contributing factor was the gusty wind condition.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that the tower informed him the winds were from 250 degrees at 25 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. He aborted his first approach to runway 19R. On the second approach, he had "good rudder and aileron control at the 80 mph approach speed." At approximately 40 feet above ground level (agl), he encountered "a strong wind shear" and the airplane dropped to an altitude of 10 feet agl. The pilot added power and landed the airplane on the runway. At that time, a "very strong gust of wind" lifted the right wing and pushed the airplane towards the left side of the runway. The pilot attempted to regain control, however, he was not successful, and the airplane continued to the left "into a ground loop off of the runway." The nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest nose down. The recorded winds at the airport near the time of the accident were from 260 degrees at 24 knots with gusts to 30 knots. The pilot reported that the tower informed him the winds were from 250 degrees at 25 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. He aborted his first approach to runway 19R. On the second approach, he had "good rudder and aileron control at the 80 mph approach speed." At approximately 40 feet above ground level (agl), he encountered "a strong wind shear" and the airplane dropped to an altitude of 10 feet agl. The pilot added power and landed the airplane on the runway. At that time, a "very strong gust of wind" lifted the right wing and pushed the airplane towards the left side of the runway. The pilot attempted to regain control, however, he was not successful, and the airplane continued to the left "into a ground loop off of the runway." The nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest nose down. The recorded winds at the airport near the time of the accident were from 260 degrees at 24 knots with gusts to 30 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2007_SEA07CA104.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (wind shear). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Optimal recovery from microburst wind shear
The flight path of a twin-jet transport aircraft is optimized in a microburst encounter during approach to landing. The objective is to execute an escape maneuver that maintains safe ground clearance …
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
An Examination of Aviation Accidents Associated with Turbulence, Wind Shear and Thunderstorm
The focal point of the study reported here was the definition and examination of turbulence, wind shear and thunderstorm in relation to aviation accidents.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Analysis of extreme wind shear
New methods utilizing extreme value statistical theory are applied in the analysis of the largest wind component shear in a wind profile as a function of shear layer thickness and season.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
Probabilities of zero wind shear phenomena based on Rawinsonde data records
Probabilities of zero wind shear occurence and depth based on rawinsonde data records
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
A Wind Shear Mechanism for Producing Sporadic E by Concentrating Minor Meteoric Ions
Wind shear mechanism for producing sporadic E layer by concentrating minor meteoric ions
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
Some aspects of wind shear in the upper atmosphere
Hydrodynamic turbulence and wind shear in upper atmosphere
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