- Date
- October 11, 2022, 11:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Sterling, CO · 3 miles west of Sterling, Colorado
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N872UEPober Pixie
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20221011016699A
- Case key
- 106122
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 during the takeoff with strong gusty surface wind.
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 pilot reported that he had just purchased the airplane. During the second takeoff the airplane encountered a “violent variable wind gust”; the left wing rose unexpectedly, and the airplane stalled. The pilot reported that there was not enough altitude to recover and the airplane impacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of takeoff, wind was reported as 250° at 23 knots, gusting to 30 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N872UE
- Reported as
- Pober Pixie
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001
- Built
- 2019
- Airframe hours
- 5
- Engine
- Volkswagen Pober Pixie 1835, 60 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Condition · October 9, 2022
- Destination
- 5KS8 · Mc Donald, KS
- Airport
- KSTK · Sterling Airport, runway 33/15, 5,201 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- None
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
- 38
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2
- Last flight review
- March 13, 2022
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,400 total · 1 in this make and model · 1,348 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 23 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.81 inHg
- Observed at
- KSTK
- METAR
- METAR KSTK 111655Z AUTO 25023G30KT 10SM CLR 25/M02 A2981
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 12, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 17.0 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.