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Atlas / NTSB / WPR14CA380

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR14CA380

2014-09-19 Portland, Oregon, United States Airport · HIO None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

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

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that while landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane in a quartering tailwind, the airplane started to veer left upon touchdown. He corrected with right rudder and brake which caused an overcorrection and he was unable to maintain directional control. During the accident sequence, the airplane ground looped and sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that while landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane in a quartering tailwind, the airplane started to veer left upon touchdown. He corrected with right rudder and brake which caused an overcorrection and he was unable to maintain directional control. During the accident sequence, the airplane ground looped and sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported no preimpact 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
  • Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_WPR14CA380.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.