Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during a touch-and-go landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot was demonstrating a touch-and-go landing in the tailwheel equipped airplane with a flight instructor onboard. During the fourth landing the pilot lost control of the airplane and it ground looped to the left. The airplane departed the left side of the runway, went through a ditch, and came to rest in the grass. The airplane’s fuselage and left wing were substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.