- Date
- June 15, 2009, 11:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Alamogordo, NM
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N594VZAirborne Windsports PTY XT-912
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 10, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- Case key
- 74063
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 failure of the pilot to maintain directional control while landing with gusting winds.
Findings · 3
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 sport pilot was performing a touch-and-go landing on Runway 03. The pilot had checked weather conditions approximately 15 minutes prior, and the winds were from 360 degrees at 11 knots gusting to 20 knots. During this landing, the winds were reported to be from 360 degrees at approximately 8 knots. The pilot decided to angle his landing on the runway approximately 20 degrees, since the weight-shift airplane did not require a long ground run. Upon touchdown, a gust of wind pushed the airplane off the side of the runway. The pilot corrected back to the runway and attempted to take off. Another gust of wind lifted one side of the wing resulting in a loss of directional control. The weight-shift airplane rolled inverted before coming to rest on the runway, causing substantial damage to the fabric wing, wing spars, and suspension cables.
Factual narrative
The sport pilot was performing a touch-and-go landing on runway 03. The pilot had checked weather conditions approximately 15 minutes prior, and the winds were from 360 degrees at 11 knots gusting to 20 knots. During this landing, the winds were reported to be from 360 degrees at approximately 8 knots. The pilot decided to angle his landing on the runway approximately 20 degrees, since the weight-shift airplane did not require a long ground run. Upon touchdown, a gust of wind pushed the airplane off the side of the runway. The pilot corrected back to the runway and attempted to takeoff. Another gust of wind lifted one side of the wing resulting in a loss of directional control. The weight-shift airplane rolled inverted before coming to rest on the runway. Substantial damage was sustained to the fabric wing, wing spars, and suspension cables.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N594VZ
- Reported as
- Airborne Windsports PTY XT-912
- Category
- Weight-shift
- Serial number
- XT-912-183LSA
- Airframe hours
- 91
- Engine
- Rotax 912UL, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 31, 2008 · 34 hours before
- Departed
- KALM · Alamogordo, NM
- Destination
- KALM · Alamogordo, NM
- Airport
- KALM · Alamogordo-White Sands Regiona, runway 03, 7,006 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 128 total · 125 in this make and model · 96 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 8 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 30, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 717 KB in all.