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Atlas / NTSB / WPR23LA355

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR23LA355

2023-09-07 Woodland, California, United States Airport · O41 None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N234RA

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT 7GCBC

Year of manufacture

2003 · 20 years old at event

Engine

LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

20031112

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A218D4

Registrant of record

TOM EATON CONSULTING LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a ground loop.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that shortly after touchdown, during the landing roll, the airplane veered left, exited the runway, and ground looped. Subsequently, the right wing impacted the ground and sustained substantial damage. 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).

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

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_WPR23LA355.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.