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WPR21LA159

2021-04-14 · Pullman, Washington, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport PUW

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during taxiing in crosswind conditions, which resulted in the airplane nosing over.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, he had completed touch-and-go landings and had planned to make a full-stop taxi back to the departure end of the runway. While taxiing, the left wing was lifted by a gust of wind and the right wing contacted the ground. The pilot closed the throttle, applied full left rudder, full back pressure on the elevator and tapped the brakes. Despite his actions, the propeller struck the ground and the airplane nosed over. Both wing struts were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no 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.

  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on equipment

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_WPR21LA159.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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