- Date
- June 13, 2004, 12:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Collins, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- UNREGNorthwing WS2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 1, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- Case key
- 59495
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
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Contributing factors include low altitude, and the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
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 pilot stated that he had just departed an airstrip and was approximately 100 feet agl when the engine lost power. He attempted to return to the field and landed "perpendicular [to the] grass strip." During the landing roll, the ultralight struck a berm, became airborne, and settled into an adjacent cornfield destroying the ultralight and seriously injuring the pilot. The pilot reported possible fuel problems for the loss of power.
Factual narrative
On June 13, 2004, at approximately 1230 mountain daylight time, a Northwing WS2, an unregistered ultralight, was destroyed when it impacted a cornfield adjacent to Yankee Field, an ultralight airstrip 5 miles northeast of Fort Collins, Colorado. The non-certificated pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed for the local flight that was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
The pilot reported he had just departed runway 18 and was approximately 100 feet agl when the engine lost power. He attempted to return to the field and landed "perpendicular [to the] grass strip." During the landing roll, the ultralight struck a berm, became airborne, and settled into an adjacent cornfield. The ultralight was destroyed and the pilot broke his right arm. The pilot reported possible fuel problems for the loss of power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- UNREG
- Reported as
- Northwing WS2
- Category
- Ultralight, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 13RRT
- Engine
- Rotax 582, 66 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- Fort Collins, CO
- Airport
- N/A · Yankee Field, runway 180, 2,000 × 100 ft, grass/turf
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- Serious
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 52 total · 52 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FNL, 5 nm away