Just Aircraft LLC HIGHLANDER accident near Yakima, Washington, March 28, 2014
On March 28, 2014, a 2008 Just Aircraft LLC HIGHLANDER, registered N553GW, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Yakima, Washington (Yakima Air Terminal/Mcallister airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 28, 2014
- Place
- Yakima, Washington · Yakima Air Terminal/Mcallister · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Just Aircraft LLC HIGHLANDER, built 2008 · all HIGHLANDERs on the register
- Registration
- N553GW · registry record · serial JAE5C0106
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Response/compensation
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Response/compensation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other person › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: sport pilot; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 300 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 283 as pilot in command; 87 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 31, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (waiver time limited special)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 29 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 260 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 17, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru 3300 (piston); 260 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: YKM Yakima WA
- Destination: YKM Yakima WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 7,604 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 14 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.71 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KYKM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR14CA150.