- Date
- July 1, 2012, 11:36 local (16:36 UTC)
- Place
- Oshkosh, WI
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N500LWilkinson Lorin L Hatz XB-II
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120701014129A
- Case key
- 84145
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 loss of directional control while landing with a crosswind.
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
During the landing roll with about 5 knots of crosswind, the airplane turned to the left, and the pilot tried to correct the turn by adding control inputs. However, the airplane ground looped to the left and came to rest on the side of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that he had landed the airplane in the past with much stronger crosswinds and felt comfortable with the conditions at the time.
Factual narrative
The pilot and two passengers returned to the airport after a short sight-seeing flight. On landing, the airplane had about 5 knots of crosswind. The airplane turned to the left and the pilot tried to correct the turn by adding control inputs. However, the airplane continued to turn left into a ground loop. The airplane came to rest on the side of the runway, with substantial damage to its wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that he had landed the airplane in the past with much stronger crosswinds and felt comfortable with the conditions at the time.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N500L
- Reported as
- Wilkinson Lorin L Hatz XB-II
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 500
- Airframe hours
- 231
- Engine
- Lom Praha M332B, 140 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · November 1, 2011
- Departed
- OSH · Oshkosh, WI
- Destination
- OSH · Oshkosh, WI
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- OSH · Wittman Regional, runway 18, 8,002 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 19, 2012
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 11,800 total · 131 in this make and model · 8,736 as pilot in command · 96 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KOSH
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 13, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.3 MB 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.