- Date
- September 11, 2025, 15:33 local (20:33 UTC)
- Place
- Forest Lake, MN · Runway 13 at Forest Lake Airport
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N442DUJust Highlander
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 15, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration - Minneapolis FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250911012529A
- Case key
- 200996
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 of the airplane during a gusty crosswind landing.
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 was conducting a flight test of the experimental amateur-built airplane. He was returning to make a full stop landing when during the landing flare a wind gust from the right caused the airplane to drift left and depart off the left runway edge. The airplane then descended an embankment and nosed over. The upper portion of the rudder and a right-wing lift strut sustained substantial damage. The pilot did not report any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. Based on the reported wind direction and speed at an airport located about 13 nautical miles from the accident site, there was likely a gusting left crosswind component of about 4 to 6 knots at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N442DU
- Reported as
- Just Highlander
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- JAESC00107
- Built
- 2025
- Airframe hours
- 10
- Engine
- Rotax 912 ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · February 27, 2025 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- 25D · Forest Lake, MN
- Destination
- 25D · Forest Lake, MN
- Airport
- 25D · Forest Lake Airport, runway 13, 2,700 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, ADS-B
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
- 77
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 2, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 160 total · 15 in this make and model · 160 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 14 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- KOEO, 13 nm away
- METAR
- KOEO 112035Z AUTO 12014G18KT 10SM SCT031 SCT038 24/15 A3020 RMK AO2 T02440149 PWINO
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 15, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.8 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.