Curtiss Wright P 40B N284CF accident near New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while landing with a crosswind, which resulted in a ground loop and a subsequent runway excursion.

NTSB analysis

According to the pilot, except for the 1.2 hours of flight time that he had accumulated during two test flights in the accident airplane, which had occurred within the previous 30 days, he had not flown an airplane of the same make and model in about 4 years. The accident flight was the second flight in the airplane since it had been reassembled. The pilot attempted to land the airplane with a 13-knot crosswind. During the landing, the tailwheel "shimmied" when it contacted the runway, and the airplane immediately began to veer right. The pilot attempted to arrest the turn with left rudder and left brake inputs, but the airplane ground looped and subsequently departed the right side of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and lower fuselage. Postaccident examination of the rudder and braking systems revealed no mechanical anomalies or malfunctions that would have caused the loss of directional control.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA15LA039 for the full record.