- Date
- September 21, 2012, 10:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Gulfport, MS
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N86862Fly Hard Trike Skycycle Sting RAY
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 13, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120921021729A
- Case key
- 85104
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 after an unexpected wind gust/turbulence encounter during 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 of the experimental weight-shift control aircraft stated that he was returning to the departure airport after an uneventful 90-minute test flight. During the landing approach, the aircraft encountered a gust of wind, then "violently" pitched up, rolled to the right, nosed over, and impacted the ground. Postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to the wings and nose. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal aircraft operation. The pilot stated that he believed that this was a “freak” accident caused by unanticipated turbulence over the runway at the time of touchdown.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the experimental weight-shift-control aircraft stated that he was returning to the departure airport at the conclusion of an uneventful 90 minute test flight. During the landing approach, the aircraft encountered a gust of wind, then "violently" pitched up, rolled to the right, nosed over, and impacted the ground. Postaccident examination of the aircraft by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the wings and nose. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the aircraft that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N86862
- Reported as
- Fly Hard Trike Skycycle Sting RAY
- Category
- Weight-shift
- Serial number
- T10247
- Airframe hours
- 5
- Engine
- Rotax 503 DCDI, 50 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Operator
- Lindorfer John H
- Registered owner
- Lindorfer John H
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · October 3, 2011 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- GPT · Gulfport, MS
- Destination
- GPT · Gulfport, MS
- Airport
- GPT · Gulfport/Biloxi International, runway 18, 4,935 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 71
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 9, 2009
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 842 total · 4 in this make and model · 684 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- GPT
Docket · 8
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 4, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 10.8 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.