- Date
- July 4, 2009, 17:00 local (Jul 5, 2009, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fairbanks, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N35240Airborne Edge 582 T
- Defining event
- Approach: Windshear or thunderstorm
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration (Airworthiness)
- FAA report
- 20090704025249A
- Case key
- 74237
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane while on approach to land, resulting in an in-flight collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The student pilot reported that while taxiing his recently purchased, experimental light sport weight-shift control airplane on a residential driveway, he pushed the control bar forward, and a gust of wind lifted the airplane. He said that he was not intending to fly the airplane, but due to the gusty wind conditions, he elected to fly to the nearest airport instead of returning to the driveway. In his written report to the NTSB the pilot reported that he encountered windshear while on a southwesterly approach to Runway 24, which “slammed me into the ground.” The airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot indicated that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane, and noted in his written report that the accident could have been avoided if he had not been taxiing the airplane in gusty wind conditions, with little previous flying experience. At the time of the accident a nearby aviation weather reporting station reported winds to be 260 degrees at 14 knots.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that while taxiing his recently purchased, experimental light sport weight-shift control airplane on a residential driveway, he pushed the control bar forward, and a gust of wind lifted the airplane. He said that he was not intending to fly the airplane, but due to the gusty wind conditions, he elected to fly to the nearest airport instead of returning to the driveway. In his written report to the NTSB the pilot reported that he encountered windshear while on a southwesterly approach to Runway 24, which “slammed me into the ground.” The airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot indicated that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane, and noted in his written report that the accident could have been avoided if he had not been taxiing the airplane in gusty wind conditions, with little previous flying experience. At the time of the accident a nearby aviation weather reporting station reported winds to be 260 degrees at 14 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N35240
- Reported as
- Airborne Edge 582 T
- Category
- Weight-shift
- Serial number
- 582-649
- Airframe hours
- 86
- Engine
- Rotax 582-DCDI, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Richard Ray Brown
- Registered owner
- Richard Ray Brown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 2009 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- Fairbanks, AK
- Destination
- MTF · Fairbanks, AK
- Airport
- MTF · Metro Field Airport, runway 24, 4,600 × 80 ft, gravel
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 5 total · 5 in this make and model · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- PAFA, 25 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 9, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 626 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.