- Date
- March 21, 2026, 13:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Mesa, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5045VBoeing A75N1
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20260321001959I
- Case key
- 202691
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 during the landing rollout, which resulted in a ground loop.
Findings · 2
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 pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during the landing rollout, the airplane encountered a strong wind gust and subsequently veered to the right. The pilot applied corrective control inputs; however, the airplane ground looped, and the left wing contacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage. Reported wind conditions 21 minutes prior to the accident were variable at 6 kts and wind conditions 39 minutes after the accident were from 280° at 4 knots. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5045V
- Reported as
- Boeing A75N1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 75-5422
- Built
- 1942
- Airframe hours
- 270
- Engine
- Lycoming R-680, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 13, 2025
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- FFZ · Falcon Field, runway 22L, 5,100 × 100 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 70
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 14, 2025
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 34,671 total · 57 in this make and model · 30,000 as pilot in command · 60.8 in the last 90 days · 51.7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 100 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.83 inHg
- Observed at
- FFZ
- METAR
- METAR KFFZ 212054Z 28004KT 10SM CLR 38/M04 A2983 RMK AO2 SLP076 T03781044 58024=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 25, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.9 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.