- Date
- September 29, 2004, 12:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Custer, SD
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N968MAArganbright Vans RV-4
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 28, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20040929027349A
- Case key
- 60410
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. Factors were the sudden wind shift and the embankment.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane was damaged when it departed the runway and struck an embankment during landing. The pilot stated that he was landing to the west and during the landing roll, the airplane suddenly veered to the right. He stated that he attempted to correct with rudder and brakes but was unable to keep the airplane from exiting the runway surface. The airplane subsequently struck an embankment. In his statement, the pilot stated that there were no mechanical problems with regard to the airplane. He also stated that he suspected that the winds from the canyon adjacent to the airport caused a wind shift at the point where the loss of control occurred. The reported winds were from 290 degrees at 9 knots.
Factual narrative
On September 29, 2004, about 1230 mountain daylight time, an amateur-built Arganbright Van's RV-4, N968MA, sustained substantial damage when it went off the right side of runway 26 (5,500 feet by 60 feet, asphalt) at the Custer County Airport, Custer, South Dakota. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. There were no injuries. The flight originated from Yankton, South Dakota about 1115.
The pilot submitted a written report of the accident. He stated that he was landing to the west and during the landing roll, the airplane suddenly veered to the right. He stated that he attempted to correct with rudder and brakes but was unable to keep the airplane from exiting the runway surface. The airplane subsequently struck an embankment. In his statement, the pilot stated that there were no mechanical problems with regard to the airplane. He also stated that he suspected that the winds from the canyon adjacent to the airport caused a wind shift at the point where the loss of control occurred.
The reported winds were from 290 degrees at 9 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N968MA
- Reported as
- Arganbright Vans RV-4
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 3964
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael Arganbright
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- YKN · Yankton, SD
- Destination
- CUT · Custer, SD
- Airport
- CUT · Custer County, runway 26
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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 5,017 total · 160 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 9 knots
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.