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WPR24LA107

2024-03-09 · Death Valley, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport L06

Current FAA registration · N78659

Make / Model
PIPER PA-11
Engine
CONT MOTOR C90 SERIES (95 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19550812
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AAA9F9

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing rollout, resulting in a ground loop and runway excursion.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that during the landing rollout and as the airplane slowed, rudder inputs became less effective. The airplane began to veer to the left, then departed the left side of the runway and ground looped. The airplane struck a runway sign located approximately 30 ft from the runway, and the fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, 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_2024_WPR24LA107.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion). All research papers