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Atlas / NTSB / WPR24LA118

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR24LA118

2024-03-28 Phoenix, Arizona, United States Airport · DVT None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N458RS

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

AMERICAN LEGEND AIRCRAFT CO AL18

Year of manufacture

2014 · 10 years old at event

Engine

LYCOMING YO-233 (115 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

20240914

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A5915C

Registrant of record

KAUFMAN CALEB

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that after touchdown, while he applied aft control stick input for a 3-point landing, the main wheels either lifted off the ground or became light. The airplane began to drift to the left and the pilot attempted to correct with right rudder. However, the airplane settled back onto the runway in a “crossed up/forward motion,” the airplane began to skid, and the left wing struck the ground which resulted in 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. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing on runway 7R, and the wind was calm. 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

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2024_WPR24LA118.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.