NTSB WPR21LA197 — 2021-05-17 · Porterville, California, United States

Current FAA registration · N663K

Make / Model: STEARMAN AIRCRAFT 4E
Year of manufacture: 1930 · 91 years old at event
Engine: P&W W-SC SERIES (450 hp)
Seats / Engines: 3 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19710126
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A8C03F

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N663K STEARMAN AIRCRAFT 4E None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s loss of directional control while landing, which resulted in a landing gear collapse.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, after landing the airplane encountered a gust of wind and ballooned. During the subsequent touch down, the airplane landed “in a very minor crab,” the right main landing gear collapsed, and the lower right wing was substantially damaged when it impacted the runway surface. 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.

— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_WPR21LA197.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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