- Date
- July 10, 2022, 10:50 local (14:50 UTC)
- Place
- Indiana, PA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N326ALArion Lightning
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Aircraft wake turb encounter
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220710011889A
- Case key
- 105441
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 airplane pilot’s inadvertent encounter with rotor wash/turbulence during short final approach, which resulted in a loss of control in flight.
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 light sport airplane reported that he was flying to an uncontrolled airport to attend an airshow later during the day. The destination airport traffic pattern was busy with several airplanes in the traffic pattern and a flight of three north of the airport. The pilot entered the traffic pattern by overflying the airport and crossing midfield onto a left downwind leg. At that point, a life flight helicopter reported 2.5 miles southwest. The pilot subsequently heard a report from the helicopter again and asked him where he was. The helicopter stated that he was on the right base leg for runway 11 and number two to land. The pilot of the airplane announced turning to final for runway 11. He was over the threshold at 20 ft above ground level when he saw the helicopter cross the runway several hundred feet ahead of him. The airplane then encountered the rotor wash, rolled right inverted and struck the runway, coming to rest on the runway. The pilot of the helicopter reported that he departed his home base about 2.5 miles from the airport to attend an airshow public relations event at the airport. He entered a right base leg for runway 11 and stated intentions to land No. 2 as there were four airplanes in the traffic pattern and airplane No. 3 (the accident airplane) was turning from left downwind to left base. The helicopter approached the runway numbers, sidestepped north to taxiway A1, and landed at a predesignated position on the taxiway for the airshow. After shutting down, the pilot was told by ground personnel that the airplane following him was involved in an accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N326AL
- Reported as
- Arion Lightning (LS1)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 99
- Built
- 2010
- Airframe hours
- 455
- Engine
- Jabiru 3300A, 120 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 7, 2022 · 13 hours before
- Departed
- FWQ · Rostraver, PA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- IDI · Indiana County Airport, runway 11, 5,502 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Handheld GPS, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display
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
- 58
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 2, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 776 total · 79 in this make and model · 638 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.16 inHg
- Observed at
- KIDI
- METAR
- KIDI 101455Z AUTO 13005KT 10SM CLR 23/12 A3016
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 24, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.7 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.