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WPR10CA455

2010-09-11 · Willows, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport WLW

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's inadequate compensation for the gusty crosswind condition and his failure to maintain directional control.

Factual narrative

The pilot stated that a gust of wind blew the airplane to the left of the runway as he was landing. He tried to abort the landing; however, the airplane barely lifted off the ground. The airplane continued to the left off of the runway and landed hard about 100 feet from the runway and ground looped. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector examined the airplane; he established flight control continuity from the cockpit to the rudder and elevators. The rudder pedals operated smoothly with no restrictions. The main landing gear wheels and tail wheel were also inspected with no mechanical abnormalities noted. The pilot stated that a gust of wind blew the airplane to the left of the runway as he was landing. He tried to abort the landing; however, the airplane barely lifted off the ground. The airplane continued to the left off of the runway and landed hard about 100 feet from the runway and ground looped. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector examined the airplane; he established flight control continuity from the cockpit to the rudder and elevators. The rudder pedals operated smoothly with no restrictions. The main landing gear wheels and tail wheel were also inspected with no mechanical abnormalities noted. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Response/compensation - C
  • 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

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_WPR10CA455.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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