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WPR11CA301

2011-06-30 · Page, Arizona, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport KPGA

N80293 has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (AIR TRACTOR INC AT-802A, built 2017), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's decision to take off with a gusty quartering tailwind.

Factual narrative

The airplane was attempting a takeoff with a left quartering tailwind of 12 knots, gusting to 21. The pilot said that as the airplane neared liftoff it began turning into the wind. The pilot applied full right rudder to maintain directional control but the rudder alone was not enough. He reported that he touched the right brake to assist in reacquiring directional control, and at that moment, the right main wheel separated and the airplane veered off the runway and came to rest on its nose and left wing. The airplane incurred substantial damage to the left wing and horizontal stabilizer. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane and the runway. He reported observing skid marks consistent with the wind picking up the left wing and the airplane veering off the runway. The pilot was attempting a takeoff with a left quartering tailwind of 12 knots, gusting to 21 knots. The pilot said that as the airplane neared liftoff it began turning into the wind. The pilot applied full right rudder to maintain directional control but the rudder alone was not enough. He reported that he touched the right brake to assist in reacquiring directional control and at that moment the right main wheel separated and the airplane veered off the runway and came to rest on its nose and left wing. The airplane incurred substantial damage to the left wing and horizontal stabilizer. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane and the runway. He reported observing skid marks consistent with the wind picking up the left wing and the airplane veering off the runway. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
  • C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Decision related to condition - C
  • C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Decision related to condition - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2011_WPR11CA301.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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