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WPR10CA391

2010-08-08 · Bridgeport, California, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport KO57

N230SS has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (BELL 222A, built 1983), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that while nearing the destination airport he listened to the automated weather which indicated wind from the north at 3-4 knots. The pilot also noted that the windsock on the northern end of the airport was “limp.” During landing, as the main wheels touched down, the pilot applied “slight” nose forward pressure on the yoke. Shortly thereafter, the right wing lifted rapidly and the pilot added right aileron and power to attempt to regain control and perform a go-around. The airplane started to veer to the left side of the runway and the pilot reduced the power. The airplane exited the left side of the runway, proceeded through a fence, and entered a ditch. The airplane slid along the ditch until it came to rest perpendicular to the runway. During the accident sequence, the airplane’s fuselage and wings were substantially damaged. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine prior to the accident. The pilot reported that, while nearing the destination airport, he listened to the automated weather which indicated wind from the north at 3-4 knots. The pilot also noted that the windsock on the northern end of the airport was limp. During landing, as the main wheels touched down, the pilot applied slight nose forward pressure on the yoke. Shortly thereafter, the right wing lifted rapidly and the pilot added right aileron and increased power in an attempt to regain control and perform a go-around. The airplane started to veer to the left side of the runway and the pilot reduced the power. The airplane exited the left side of the runway, proceeded through a fence, and entered a ditch. The airplane slid along the ditch until it came to rest perpendicular to the runway. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine prior to the accident. 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
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Fence/fence post-Not specified
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_WPR10CA391.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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