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Atlas / NTSB / WPR14CA103

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR14CA103

2014-01-25 Renton, Washington, United States Airport · RNT None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N188L

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

WACO CLASSIC AIRCRAFT YMF-F5C

Year of manufacture

2013 · 1 years old at event

Engine

JACOBS R-755A2M (300 hp)

Seats / Engines

3 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

20130918

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A15F5E

Registrant of record

WERTMAN DANIEL E JR

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during the landing roll in the tailwheel equipped airplane, as the rudder lost effectiveness, the airplane veered to the right and then ground looped off of the runway. Subsequently, the left wing struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot reported that he thought he may have inadvertently applied minor application of the right brake due to his foot placement. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that during the landing roll in the tailwheel equipped airplane, as the rudder lost effectiveness, the airplane veered to the right and then ground looped off of the runway. Subsequently, the left wing struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot reported that he thought he may have inadvertently applied minor application of the right brake due to his foot placement. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_WPR14CA103.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.