- Date
- August 25, 1994, 19:15 local (Aug 26, 1994, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- Prole, IA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6161QRobert Eldon Idler TIERRA-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 14, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940825023999A
- Case key
- 9655
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 airplane's encounter with the outflow (gust front) from an approaching thunderstorm. Factors were the pilot's inaccurate evaluation of the gust front location, and the inability of the airplanes flight control system to compensate for the rolling moment.
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
During cruise flight, the two-seat registered ultralight aircraft encountered the gust front from an approaching thunderstorm which was located 7 to 15 miles away. The ultralight entered an uncommanded right descending bank, which the pilot could could not arrest with full opposite aileron input. The ultralight impacted trees and was destroyed.
Factual narrative
On August 25, 1994, at 1915 hours central daylight time, a Tierra-2, 2 seat registered ultralight aircraft, N6161Q, operated by Robert Idler of West Des Moines, Iowa, impacted wooded, hilly terrain 8 miles southwest of Des Moines, Iowa, and was destroyed. The Airline Transport rated pilot and passenger received minor injuries. No fire occurred. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed.
The flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91, originated from Chandler Field on the Gene Wilson Farm in rural Prole, Iowa, at 1900 central daylight time. The pilot reported that he took off in clear weather and was overrun by the gust front of an approaching thunderstorm which was located between 7 and 15 miles away. The aircraft entered an uncommanded right descending turn, which the pilot reported he was unable to counter with full left aileron input. He also reported that the engine operated normally until the aircraft impacted trees.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6161Q
- Reported as
- Robert Eldon Idler TIERRA-2
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1
- Airframe hours
- 97
- Engine
- Rotax 532, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert Idler
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 4, 1995 · 42 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Des Moines, IA
- Airport
- Chandler Field
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
- 41
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 9,111 total · 27 in this make and model · 8,904 as pilot in command · 97 in the last 90 days · 36 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.