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WPR10CA143

2010-02-20 · Mesa, Arizona, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport FFZ

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind and failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot submitted a written statement. He was practicing takeoffs and landings on runway 22L and the wind was from 160 at 10 knots. The airplane touched down and bounced, and then the pilot transitioned the airplane to a three-point landing. The pilot reported that the wind lifted up the left wing. He attempted to correct; however, the tail wheel was not yet on the ground. The airplane veered to the left and the right main landing gear collapsed. A witness reported the airplane bounced when it landed, and then it ground looped, collapsing the right main landing gear. The pilot said that he was practicing his takeoffs and landings on runway 22L and the wind was from 160 at 10 knots. The airplane touched down and bounced, and then the pilot transitioned the airplane to a three-point landing. The pilot reported that the wind lifted up the left wing. He attempted to correct; however, the tailwheel was not yet on the ground. The airplane veered to the left and the right main landing gear collapsed. A witness reported the airplane bounced when it landed, and then it ground-looped, collapsing the right main landing gear. 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-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Response/compensation - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_WPR10CA143.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 (icing). All research papers