- Date
- June 8, 2009, 11:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Raleigh, NC
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2598ETrick Trikes Storm Thunder
- Defining event
- Landing: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA Greensboro FSDO
- Case key
- 73981
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 aircraft control on approach for 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 delayed his flight due to fog in the local area. After departing, he flew around the local area for about 1 hour and 30 minutes when the flight started to get bumpy due to thermals. He became a little disoriented, observed personnel next to their home, and circled the house several times. He decided to make an off-field landing so that he could get an address, call his wife, and recover the airplane. The pilot made an additional pass over the house, reversed course, and started an approach for landing. The pilot reported encountering an updraft about 30 to 40 feet above the ground. The nose of the airplane pitched up and the pilot secured the engine. He pushed the nose of the airplane down and the airplane then collided with the ground. The pilot stated there were no mechanical problems with the airplane. The homeowners at the accident site reported that the sky was clear, with no wind gusts and a gentle breeze.
Factual narrative
The pilot delayed his flight due to fog in the local area. After departing, he flew around the local area for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. It then started to get bumpy due to thermals. He became a little disoriented, observed personnel next to their home, and circled the house several times. He decided to make an off field landing so he could get an address, call his wife, and recover the airplane. The pilot made an additional pass over the house, reversed course, and started an approach for landing. The pilot reported encountering an updraft about 30 to 40 feet above the ground. The nose of the airplane pitched up and the pilot secured the engine. He pushed the nose of the airplane down and the airplane then collided with the ground. The pilot stated there were no mechanical problems with the airplane. The homeowners at the accident site reported the sky was clear, no wind gust, and a gentle breeze.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2598E
- Reported as
- Trick Trikes Storm Thunder
- Category
- Weight-shift
- Serial number
- TTS 011
- Airframe hours
- 30
- Engine
- Rotax 582, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hunt Leslie R
- Registered owner
- Hunt Leslie R
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · June 7, 2009 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- Clayton, NC
- Destination
- Clayton, NC
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
- 59
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 165 total · 25 in this make and model · 165 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
- 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- RDU
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 23, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 MB in all.