# NTSB DEN02LA027: Knight BD-4, N84RL, Kemmerer, WY, February 20, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: February 20, 2002, 12:30 local (19:30 UTC) - Place: Kemmerer, WY - Coordinates: 41.780261, -110.54943 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.7803&lon=-110.5494&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 25, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA Flight Standards Fied Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 54224 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN02LA027 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54224/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54224 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN02LA027 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff, which resulted in a collision with a snowbank. A contributing factor was the high crosswind. ## Analysis After liftoff, a quartering headwind pushed the airplane to the left side of the runway. The left main gear struck a snow bank and airspeed dropped. The pilot felt he could not clear obstacles ahead and decided to land in the snow. The left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing then struck the snow. According to the pilot, the wind was from 260 degrees at 20 knots when he started his takeoff on runway 22. ## Factual narrative On February 20, 2002, approximately 1230 mountain standard time, a Knight BD-4, N84RL, operated by the pilot, was substantially damaged following loss of control during takeoff at Kemmerer Municipal Airport, Kemmerer, Wyoming. The pilot and his passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the pleasure flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. According to the pilot's accident report, the wind was from 260 degrees approximately 20 knots when he started his takeoff roll on runway 22. When the airplane was approximately 8 feet off the ground, the quartering headwind "seemed stronger," and he used "full right rudder to crab into the wind." He said, "The wind pushed me to the left and the left gear hit the top" of a snow bank, turning the airplane "perpendicular to the wind." Airspeed dropped from 75 MPH to 60 MPH and the controls felt "sluggish." The pilot said he didn't feel he could avoid a windsock and fence ahead, so he closed the throttle and landed in the snow. The left gear collapsed when it hit the snow. The left wing then struck the snow, denting the leading edge and tearing off the wing tip. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with terrain/water, takeoff - initial climb - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - weather condition - high wind (contributing factor) - weather condition - crosswind (contributing factor) - terrain condition - snowbank - airspeed - low - Forced landing, descent - emergency - terrain condition - ground - terrain condition - snow covered ## Aircraft - Registration: [N84RL](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N84RL), registered now, S/N 84, built 1996 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Knight BD-4 - Registry model: [Knight Roger E BD-4](https://openairdocs.org/model/knight-roger-e-bd-4) (registry code 05628VF) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: 84 - Airframe hours: 187 - Engines: Lycoming O-320-B1A 160 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Harold O. Stockman - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, October 2, 2001, 35 hours before - Departed: EMM, Kemmerer, WY - Destination: EKO, Elko, NV - Airport: EMM, Kemmerer Municipal, runway EMM, 2,850 × 60 ft, concrete ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 48; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review February 2, 2002; seat: front; flight hours: 479 total, 30 in this make and model, 439 as pilot in command, 36 in the last 90 days, 22 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 250° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 4,000 ft broken - Temperature: 30 °F, dew point 28 °F - Altimeter: 30.12 inHg - Observed at: EVW, 51 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020220002799A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020220002799A), Feb 20, 2002: Amtr BD4, Kemmerer, WY, No damage. (-23) During take off left main gear struck a standing snow pile to the side of the runway causing aircraft to yaw into a down wind direction accompanied by a… ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 3, 2002, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54224. 435 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 352 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40389109&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Supplement S (item 2, .PDF, 27 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40161928&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Supplement%20S-Master.PDF - Weather Reports and Records (item 3, .PDF, 56 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40161929&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Weather%20Reports%20and%20Records-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- From OpenAirDocs.org, an independent open copy of NTSB and FAA data. The NTSB's own report is the official record of an investigation.