NTSB CAROL · Event
Event WPR21LA181
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while landing with gusting wind conditions, which resulted in a ground loop.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, while landing on runway 4, a gust of wind caused the airplane to veer left. The pilot used rudder control and added power to no avail. The airplane ground looped to the right and the left landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and the left horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 350° at 8 knots 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).
- — 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 operation
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2021_WPR21LA181.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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