- Date
- October 24, 2016, 15:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Placerville, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N331MAAviat A-1C
- Defining event
- Landing-aborted after touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 18, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20161024019149A
- Case key
- 94305
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing in gusty crosswind conditions.
Findings · 5
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The tailwheel endorsed pilot who was receiving additional instruction from an appropriately rated flight instructor acting as a safety pilot in the tailwheel equipped airplane reported, that during the landing roll before the tail settled to the runway, a gust of wind "pushed" the airplane to the right edge of the runway. He further reported that he attempted to abort the landing to avoid parked aircraft. Subsequently, the airplane impacted an airport perimeter fence during the aborted landing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the right aileron and the rudder. The pilot reported that there were no pre impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. A review of the local weather on the airfield, about the time of the accident, recorded the wind from 180 degrees true, at 12 nautical miles per hour (knots), with gusts to 20 knots. The pilot landed runway 23.
Factual narrative
The tailwheel endorsed pilot who was receiving additional instruction from an appropriately rated flight instructor acting as a safety pilot in the tailwheel equipped airplane reported, that during the landing roll before the tail settled to the runway, a gust of wind "pushed" the airplane to the right edge of the runway. He further reported that he attempted to abort the landing to avoid parked aircraft. Subsequently, the airplane impacted an airport perimeter fence during the aborted landing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the right aileron and the rudder. The pilot reported that there were no pre impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. A review of the local weather on the airfield, about the time of the accident, recorded the wind from 180 degrees true, at 12 nautical miles per hour (knots), with gusts to 20 knots. The pilot landed runway 23.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N331MA
- Reported as
- Aviat A-1C (180)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3089
- Built
- 2010
- Airframe hours
- 280
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1P, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 8, 2015
- Departed
- SQL · San Carlos, CA
- Destination
- PVF · Placerville, CA
- Airport
- PVF · Placerville, runway 23, 3,910 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 4, 2016
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 269 total · 2 in this make and model · 144 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 18, 2015
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 1,515 total · 7 in this make and model · 1,455 as pilot in command · 165 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- KPVF
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 16, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.6 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.