- Date
- December 15, 2024, 11:20 local (17:20 UTC)
- Place
- Ozark, MO
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N556CFCapella FW1C50
- Defining event
- Taxi: Miscellaneous/other
- 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
- 20241215021889A
- Case key
- 199442
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 aircraft control during high-speed taxi.
Findings · 2
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 was unfamiliar with the single seat amateur-built airplane and his intent was to perform high-speed taxi testing of the airplane. He stated that he made a high-speed taxi to the south on runway 18 and then proceeded to make another high-speed taxi in the opposite direction on runway 36. During the high-speed taxi on runway 36, wind from the southeast picked up the left wing, the airplane inadvertently became airborne, and the airplane drifted to the right. The airplane was heading toward trees and the pilot applied full throttle to clear the trees but was unable to maintain control of the airplane. The airplane struck the ground, and the nose and right main landing gear separated. The right wing incurred substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N556CF
- Reported as
- Capella FW1C50
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001
- Built
- 1997
- Airframe hours
- 222
- Engine
- Rotax 503, 52 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · July 10, 2024
- Airport
- 18MO · Gimlin, runway 18/36, 3,005 × 40 ft, grass/turf
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
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 6, 2023
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 95 total · 0 in this make and model · 13 as pilot in command · 0 in the last 90 days · 0 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- KSGF, 20 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KSGF 151752Z 15015KT 10SM CLR 14/03 A3012 RMK AO2 SLP200 T01390028 10139 20006 58024 $=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 3, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.6 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.