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WPR20CA113

2020-03-21 · Puyallup, Washington, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport PLU

N914MS has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (JUST AIRCRAFT LLC HIGHLANDER, built 2022), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during landing in gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in the wing striking the ground.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that just before touchdown, the airplane encountered a gust of wind from the left, which caused the airplane to weathervane to the right and the left wing being lifted up. The pilot applied left aileron control and full power but was unable to maintain control of the airplane. The airplane's right wing tip impacted the ground, the landing gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed down. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, just before touchdown, the airplane encountered a wind gust from the left, which caused the airplane to weathervane to the right and the left wing to rise. The pilot applied left aileron control and full power but was unable to maintain control. The right wingtip impacted the ground, the landing gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed down. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_WPR20CA113.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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