Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing with a tailwind.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot was conducting a local flight in the tailwheel-equipped airplane when it bounced upon touchdown on the main landing gear. The pilot attempted to recover from the bounced landing by increasing elevator pitch to make a full-stall landing, but the airplane yawed to the right and ground looped on the runway. The pilot was unable to regain directional control of the airplane and it swerved off the right side of the runway where the left main landing gear collapsed and the left wingtip struck the ground. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The forward fuselage, left wing, and left aileron sustained substantial damage during the accident. According to available weather data, the surface wind at the airport was calm when the pilot departed on the flight from runway 15, but at the time of the accident the wind direction had changed to the north-northwest at 6 knots. Based on the wind data, the wind direction would have resulted in a tailwind during landing. The pilot stated that the accident might have been avoided had he kept closer attention to the airport’s windsock and landed into the wind instead of having a tailwind during landing.