- Date
- March 27, 2014, 17:30 local (Mar 28, 2014, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Yakima, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N553GWJust Highlander
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 18, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Adminstration
- FAA report
- 20140327003879A
- Case key
- 88981
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 student pilot's inadequate compensation for the gusting crosswind conditions and the certified flight instructor's inadequate supervision, resulting in a loss of directional control during the landing roll.
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 student pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings with the flight instructor during gusting crosswind conditions. On the fifth touchdown, the tailwheel equipped airplane bounced and the student increased engine power. The airplane settled back down to a three-point landing. During the ground roll, the right wing lifted up and the instructor applied full right aileron, down elevator, and full right rudder control. The wing continued to lift, and the airplane began to turn left. The instructor applied full engine power as the airplane departed the runway. The left wing touched the ground and the airplane continued another 50 feet, rotating onto the right wing, and then nosing over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and both wings during the accident sequence. The pilot's reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings with the flight instructor during gusting crosswind conditions. On the fifth touchdown, the tailwheel equipped airplane bounced and the student increased engine power. The airplane settled back down to a three-point landing. During the ground roll, the right wing lifted up and the instructor applied full right aileron, down elevator, and full right rudder control. The wing continued to lift, and the airplane began to turn left. The instructor applied full engine power as the airplane departed the runway. The left wing touched the ground and the airplane continued another 50 feet, rotating onto the right wing, and then nosing over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and both wings during the accident sequence. The pilot's reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N553GW
- Reported as
- Just Highlander
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- JAE5C0106
- Built
- 2008
- Airframe hours
- 260
- Engine
- Jabiru 3300, 120 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 17, 2014
- Departed
- YKM · Yakima, WA
- Destination
- YKM · Yakima, WA
- Airport
- YKM · Yakima Air Terminal/Mcallister, runway 27, 7,604 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Waiver time limited special
- Last flight review
- May 31, 2013
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 300 total · 29 in this make and model · 283 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 29 total · 20 in this make and model · 29 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 14 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.71 inHg
- Observed at
- KYKM
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 4, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.9 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.