20120509007439A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Flight Design CTLS · Moorhead, MN · May 9, 2012

Date
May 9, 2012 · 13:00 local
Place
Moorhead, MN
Airport
Moorhead Municipal Airport
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N9922P
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN12CA295
Reported as
Flight Design Ctls
Reported engine
ROTAX 912ULS
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s certificate
Sport pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
113 total15 in this make and model18 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The pilot was flying from kffm to kfar with an intermediate stop at kjkj (Moorhead). When leaving kffm, winds were light. Upon entering kfars trsa, the pilot contacted approach. He was given a squak code and was informed that the winds at kfar were calm. The pilot proceeded to overfly kjkj and the windsock indicated a crosswind but not strong. He set up for approach and called his entry at downwind base and final. The approach was normal until just above the runway on final when he suddenly needed aileron into the wind. He used rudder to try to square the landing with the runway. The pilot stated that he believes that effort slowed the plane enough for it to stall and land hard. On touchdown he found himself at the left edge of the runway with the nose wheel pointed left. The aircraft then departed to the left of the runway into the ditch between the runway and taxiway, hitting two runway lights. The aircraft continued along the ditch hitting the intersecting taxiway pavement edge, sending the aircraft airborne briefly. The aircraft landed on the other side of the taxiway in the ditch left of the runway. At this point the nose wheel seperated the aircraft causing the aircraft to nose into the dirt and flip over. The pilot shut off switches and found his seatbelt/harness release button and climbed out the broken pilot side window. The pilot shut off the fuel and switches intially missed. He then walked to the kjkj terminal and called fss to report the accident.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT WAS FLYING FROM KFFM TO KFAR WITH AN INTERMEDIATE STOP AT KJKJ (MOORHEAD). WHEN LEAVING KFFM, WINDS WERE LIGHT. UPON ENTERING KFARS TRSA, THE PILOT CONTACTED APPROACH. HE WAS GIVEN A SQUAK CODE AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE WINDS AT KFAR WERE CALM. THE PILOT PROCEEDED TO OVERFLY KJKJ AND THE WINDSOCK INDICATED A CROSSWIND BUT NOT STRONG. HE SET UP FOR APPROACH AND CALLED HIS ENTRY AT DOWNWIND BASE AND FINAL. THE APPROACH WAS NORMAL UNTIL JUST ABOVE THE RUNWAY ON FINAL WHEN HE SUDDENLY NEEDED AILERON INTO THE WIND. HE USED RUDDER TO TRY TO SQUARE THE LANDING WITH THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE BELIEVES THAT EFFORT SLOWED THE PLANE ENOUGH FOR IT TO STALL AND LAND HARD. ON TOUCHDOWN HE FOUND HIMSELF AT THE LEFT EDGE OF THE RUNWAY WITH THE NOSE WHEEL POINTED LEFT. THE AIRCRAFT THEN DEPARTED TO THE LEFT OF THE RUNWAY INTO THE DITCH BETWEEN THE RUNWAY AND TAXIWAY, HITTING TWO RUNWAY LIGHTS. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED ALONG THE DITCH HITTING THE INTERSECTING TAXIWAY PAVEMENT EDGE, SENDING THE AIRCRAFT AIRBORNE BRIEFLY. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TAXIWAY IN THE DITCH LEFT OF THE RUNWAY. AT THIS POINT THE NOSE WHEEL SEPERATED THE AIRCRAFT CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO NOSE INTO THE DIRT AND FLIP OVER. THE PILOT SHUT OFF SWITCHES AND FOUND HIS SEATBELT/HARNESS RELEASE BUTTON AND CLIMBED OUT THE BROKEN PILOT SIDE WINDOW. THE PILOT SHUT OFF THE FUEL AND SWITCHES INTIALLY MISSED. HE THEN WALKED TO THE KJKJ TERMINAL AND CALLED FSS TO REPORT THE ACCIDENT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.