Aviation Accident Summaries

Aviation Accident Summary WPR11CA134

Groveland, CA, USA

Aircraft #1

N17AJ

BAL-AIR INC/WAYNE JOHN K CHRISTEN EAGLE

Analysis

The pilot stated that as the airplane settled on the runway, it passed several hangars and a hill, and the tail was pushed by a crosswind. The pilot tried to correct the movement but was unsuccessful. The airplane departed the runway at 35-40 mph, pivoted up on the nose, twisted to the right, and settled back down on its landing gear. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that it sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that the airplane and engine experienced no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

Factual Information

The pilot stated on the NTSB Pilot Aircraft Accident Report that as the airplane settled on runway 27 it passed some hangars and a hill, and the tail was pushed by a crosswind. The pilot tried to correct the movement but was unsuccessful. The airplane departed the runway at 35-40 mph, pivoted up on the nose, twisted to the right, and settled back down on its landing gear. Substantial damage to the left wing tip of the top wing was identified. The pilot reported that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

Probable Cause and Findings

The pilot's failure to compensate for crosswind conditions and maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a runway excursion.

 

Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database

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