- Date
- March 23, 2014, 10:40 local (14:40 UTC)
- Place
- Kill Devil Hills, NC
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N90650Fantasy Air Sro Allegro 2000
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 21, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20140323004189A
- Case key
- 88959
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 control of the airplane during the landing approach in gusty wind conditions.
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
According to the sport pilot, while turning from the left base to the final leg of the approach for runway 2, with engine power reduced to "near" idle, a gust of wind came from the right and the airplane lost altitude. He attempted to recover the altitude loss by rolling the airplane to a wing level attitude and adding full power; however, the airplane impacted the top of a tree. The airplane subsequently impacted the ground in a nose-down attitude. A postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the wings, fuselage, and tail section were substantially damaged. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation. Around the time of the accident, the wind at the airport was from 020 degrees at 12 knots with gust to 19 knots.
Factual narrative
According to the sport pilot, while turning from the left base to the final leg of the approach for runway 2, with engine power reduced to "near" idle, a gust of wind came from the right and the airplane lost altitude. He attempted to recover the altitude loss by rolling the airplane to a wing level attitude and adding full power; however, the airplane impacted the top of a tree. The airplane subsequently impacted the ground in a nose-down attitude. A postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the wings, fuselage, and tail section were substantially damaged. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation. Around the time of the accident, the wind at the airport was from 020 degrees at 12 knots with gust to 19 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N90650
- Reported as
- Fantasy Air Sro Allegro 2000
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 06-235
- Built
- 2006
- Engine
- Rotax 912, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Departed
- TTA · Sanford, NC
- Destination
- FFA · Kill Devil Hills, NC
- Airport
- FFA · First Flight, runway 02, 3,000 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Last flight review
- February 26, 2014
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 12 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KFFA
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 6, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 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.
Other investigations on N90650 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.