# Accident 20240910012349A: Brandt Stirling D WAIEX-B, Stratford, CT, September 10, 2024

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 10, 2024, 16:12 local time
- Place: Stratford, CT
- Airport: Bridgeport Municipal
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Departure Roll
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.1635° N, 73.1262° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.1635&lon=-73.1262&mi=10
- Aircraft: N371WB, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N371WB) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Brandt Stirling D WAIEX-B (registry code 0563852, https://openairdocs.org/model/brandt-stirling-d-waiex-b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Aeroconver AEROVEE-2.1 T (registry code 01398, https://openairdocs.org/engine/aeroconver-aerovee-2-1-t) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BRANDT STIRLING D WAIEX-B
- Reported engine: AEROCONVER AEROVEE 2.1 T
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 386 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA24LA378](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA24LA378) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240910012349A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2024, AT APPROXIMATELY 1600 EST, THE MISHAP AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A WIND GUST DURING DEPARTURE ROLL ON RWY 29 AT KBDR. THE RIGHT-WING CONTACTED A TAXIWAY SIGN AFTER THE PILOT REPORTED A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT REPORTED PROVIDING FULL POWER AT TAKE OFF ROLL WITH A GUSTY CROSSWIND AT THE TIME FULL POWER WAS APPLIED. LOCAL WEATHER CONDITIONS SUPPORT THE PILOT STATEMENT. THE MISHAP AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE CENTERLINE CAUSING THE MIDPOINT OF THE RIGHT-WING LEADING EDGE TO IMPACT TAXIWAY SIGN ECHO-HOTEL. THE PILOT THEN TAXIED BACK TO THE RAMP UNEVENTFULLY. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED COSMETIC DAMAGE TO THE SHEET METAL ON THE LEADING EDGE OF THE RIGHT WING. REMOVAL OF THE LEADING-EDGE SKIN WILL BE REQUIRED TO DETERMINE IF FURTHER DAMAGE EXISTS TO WING SPARS. THE AIRCREW CONSISTED OF ONE PILOT AND NO PERSONAL INJURIES WERE INCURRED. A REVIEW OF THE PILOTS’ CERTIFICATES REVEALED A THIRD-CLASS MEDICAL CERTIFICATE THAT EXPIRED ON AUGUST 27, 2024. ALTHOUGH THE INDENTATION TO THE RIGHT WING APPEARS COSMETIC, A STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING ANALYSIS OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS DETERMINED DAMAGE TO THE UNDERLYING RIBS ON THE LEADING EDGE OF THE RIGHT WING WAS SUBSTANTIAL, CLASSIFYING THIS MISHAP AS AN ACCIDENT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA24LA378](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA24LA378), Sep 10, 2024: Brandt Stirling D WAIEX-B (N371WB), Stratford, CT, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain direction control of the airplane during a takeoff in crosswind conditions.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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