Just HIGHLANDER N553GW

Summary

On 28 March 2014 at about 00:30 local time, a Just HIGHLANDER registered N553GW was involved in an accident near Yakima, Washington, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 March 2014 at 00:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Yakima, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Yakima Air Terminal/McAllister (YKM)

Coordinates

46.5675, -120.5389

Aircraft

Just HIGHLANDER

Registration

N553GW

Category

Airplane

Year built

2008

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Yakima → Yakima

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14CA150

Nobody was injured.

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB 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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.