NTSB CAROL · Event
Event WPR20CA296
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during a precautionary landing which resulted in a ground loop.
Factual narrative
The pilot of a tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, he was making a precautionary landing to an old gravel and sand runway. During the landing roll, he lost directional control and the airplane ground looped. Subsequently, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot of a tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, he was making a precautionary landing to an old gravel and sand runway. During the landing roll, he lost directional control and the airplane ground looped. Subsequently, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. 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
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- 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_2020_WPR20CA296.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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