20121110025389A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Lawson Ron Rans S-19 · Crowley, LA · November 10, 2012

Date: November 10, 2012 · 12:20 local
Place: Crowley, LA
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N434KL
NTSB investigation: NTSBCEN13CA064
Reported as: Lawson Ron Rans S-19
Reported engine: ROTAX SEE BOMBADIER
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 1
Pilot’s certificate: Sport pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 736 total79 in this make and model14 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.

Pilot was attempting to land to the west on a grass runway with 10-15 knot winds from the south. Poor cross-wind landing technique caused the nose wheel to strike the ground unusually hard, causing it to collapse. The aircraft then flipped end over end, coming to rest upside down.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND TO THE WEST ON A GRASS RUNWAY WITH 10-15 KNOT WINDS FROM THE SOUTH. POOR CROSS-WIND LANDING TECHNIQUE CAUSED THE NOSE WHEEL TO STRIKE THE GROUND UNUSUALLY HARD, CAUSING IT TO COLLAPSE. THE AIRCRAFT THEN FLIPPED END OVER END, COMING TO REST UPSIDE DOWN.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB CEN13CA064Accident · Minor injuriesData collectionFinal reportCrowley, LAThe pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in the collapse of the nose landing gear and the airplane nosing over.Nov 10, 2012 · Substantial damage