- Date
- July 12, 2024, 14:21 local (19:21 UTC)
- Place
- Hackney, KS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1078PSkystar Kitfox
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- 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
- FAA report
- 20240712010529A
- Case key
- 194688
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 directional control during the landing roll in a gusting wind condition.
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 during the landing roll in a tailwheel-equipped airplane, a gust of wind picked up the right wing. He attempted to correct with full right aileron, rudder, and full power to initiate a go-around. The pilot stated that he aborted the go-around, and the airplane ground looped and exited the left side of the runway. During the ground loop, the left wing struck the ground which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing, its lift strut, and the fuselage. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing the airplane on runway 17 with wind from 180° at 16 knots, gusting to 25 knots. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1078P
- Reported as
- Skystar Kitfox (SERIES 7)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- S60111-068
- Built
- 2004
- Airframe hours
- 533
- Engine
- Rotax 914, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · January 22, 2024 · 26 hours before
- Departed
- 1K1 · Benton, KS
- Destination
- WLD · Hackney, KS
- Airport
- WLD · Strother Field Airport, runway 17, 5,506 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Handheld GPS, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator
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
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 3, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 658.5 total · 165 in this make and model · 600 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 1.4 in the last 30 days · 1.4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 16 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 100 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Icing
- Unknown
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- KWLD
- METAR
- KWLD 121954Z AUTO 18016G25KT 10SM CLR 38/21 A2998 RMK AO2 SLP135 T03780211
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 30, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.9 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.
Other investigations on N1078P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.