# NTSB CEN13LA254: Mason Robert Kolb Mark 3X, N125KP, Lawrence, KS, May 1, 2013 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 1, 2013, 12:40 local (17:40 UTC) - Place: Lawrence, KS - Coordinates: 38.921943, -95.190834 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.9219&lon=-95.1908&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Initial climb: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report September 30, 2014 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA - NTSB case key (mKey): 86800 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN13LA254 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/86800/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=86800 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN13LA254 ## Probable cause The noncertificated pilot’s improper decision to depart with a tailwind. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Info processing/decision: decision making/judgment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Mason Robert KOLB MARK 3X, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md?model=059007E), [All aircraft, 3,098 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: altitude](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Mason Robert KOLB MARK 3X, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012/cases.md?model=059007E), [All aircraft, 1,310 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012/cases.md) - [Wind: tailwind](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03034015): Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Effect on operation (probable cause); cases with it: [Mason Robert KOLB MARK 3X, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03034015/cases.md?model=059007E), [All aircraft, 594 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03034015/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Initial climb: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [Mason Robert KOLB MARK 3X, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=059007E), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md) - [Initial climb: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Mason Robert KOLB MARK 3X, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=059007E), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The noncertificated pilot departed to the south in a light sport airplane from a soft dirt field. A witness heard the airplane's engine and saw the airplane make a slight right turn before it impacted a fence and trees at the end of the field. A postimpact examination of the aircraft and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. Wind conditions reported 6 miles from the accident site were from 060 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 14 knots; thus the airplane was likely subject to a tailwind during the departure. ## Factual narrative On May 1, 2013, about 1240 central daylight time, a Robert Mason Kolb Mark 3X airplane, N125KP, collided with trees and a fence after departing from a private airstrip in Lawrence, Kansas. The non-certificated pilot received serious injuries. The airplane was owned and operated by a private individual; however, the airplane was still registered to the previous owner. The airplane was being operated as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight and no flight plan was filed. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident. The pilot's wife witnessed the accident. She stated she first saw the airplane on the ground with the engine running; the flight controls moved and the engine revved up and down. The power increased again and the airplane began to move. The tail of the airplane lifted off and the airplane veered slightly in one direction, straightened out, and the power increased. The airplane lifted off the ground and made a slight turn to the right before it impacted the trees and a fence at the southwest corner of their property. The pilot initially stated that the engine lost power on takeoff. The pilot then stated to a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector that he did not remember what happened. A visual examination of the aircraft and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. The fence and trees were about 900 feet from the beginning of the airstrip. The pilot departed to the south on a flat area of runway that was 300 foot long topped with freshly seeded dirt. The weather conditions recorded at the Lawrence Municipal Airport (LWC), Lawrence, Kansas, located 6 miles north of the accident site, at 1252, were: wind from 060 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 14 knots, visibility 8 miles, sky condition 4,000 feet scattered, temperature 26 degrees Celsius, dew point 16 degrees Celsius, and altimeter 29.98 inches of mercury. A review of records revealed that the pilot did not hold a pilot certificate. The pilot stated he purchased the already built airplane a couple of months prior to the accident and had flown it 2 or 3 hours. He stated he has flown for about 40 years and that he had about 40 hours of helicopter flight time. The airplane was issued a Special Experimental Light Sport Airworthiness certificate on October 18, 2006. The airplane was powered by a Rotax 582 reciprocating engine. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N125KP](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N125KP-2017-09-07), registration cancelled 2017-09-07, S/N M3X0340049, built 2005 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: MASON ROBERT KOLB MARK 3X - Registry model: [Mason Robert KOLB MARK 3X](https://openairdocs.org/model/mason-robert-kolb-mark-3x) (registry code 059007E) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Rotax 582DCDI-99](https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-582dcdi-99) (registry code 55561, 2 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: M3X0340049 - Engines: ROTAX 582DCDI-99 65 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Dennis R. McNish - Registered owner: Holle Kenneth D - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Condition, August 1, 2012 - Departed: Pvt, Lawrence, KS - Destination: Pvt, Lawrence, KS - Airport: Pvt, Pvt, runway 18, 300 × 50 ft, dirt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 60; injuries: serious; seat: right; flight hours: 3 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 60° at 10 knots, gusting 14 - Visibility: 8 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 79 °F, dew point 61 °F - Altimeter: 29.97 inHg - Observed at: LWC, 6 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20130501016309A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20130501016309A), May 1, 2013: Mason Robert KOLB MARK 3X, Lawrence, KS, Substantial damage. The pilot attempted a downwind takeoff of a south direction with winds reported 060 degrees, 12 knots gusting to 16. After rotation the aircraft veered to the… ## Docket (7 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 28, 2014, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=86800. 11.1 MB in all. - FAA Inspector Statement (item 1, .PDF, 267 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40415807&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=FAA%20Inspector%20Statement-Redacted.PDF - Record of Conversations (item 2, .PDF, 72 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40415808&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Record%20of%20Conversations-Master.PDF - Kansas Highway Patrol Report (item 3, .PDF, 153 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40415809&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Kansas%20Highway%20Patrol%20Report-Redacted.PDF - Accident Site Overview (item 4, .PDF, 94 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40415811&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Accident%20Site%20Overview-Master.PDF - Photo 1 - Main Wreckage (item 5, .PDF, 4.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40415810&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%201%20-%20Main%20Wreckage-Master.PDF - Photo 2 - Propeller and Engine (item 6, .PDF, 3.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40415812&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%202%20-%20Propeller%20and%20Engine-Master.PDF - Photo 3 - Propeller and Wing Spar (item 7, .PDF, 2.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40415813&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%203%20-%20Propeller%20and%20Wing%20Spar-Master.PDF 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.