NTSB CAROL · Event
Event WPR21LA229
Registry · N4718T
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
MAULE M-4
Year of manufacture
1964 · 57 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR 0-300 SER (145 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19640608
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A5C853
Registrant of record
ARCAND DAVID R
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a ditch, which resulted in impact with terrain.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, after landing, and during taxi to the end of the runway to turn around to park, he did not see a deep steep ditch at the end of the runway. The airplane traveled into the ditch as the pilot applied full right rudder and full right brake in an attempt to turn, however, the airplane continued to slide into the ditch where the left-wing impact terrain. 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
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- — Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot
- — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Sloped/uneven terrain-Effect on equipment
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2021_WPR21LA229.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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