- Date
- April 18, 2025, 16:52 UTC
- Place
- Taylorsville, NC
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N497ARFrank Lowell C Pietenpol
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Loss of control in flight
- 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
- 20250418003889A
- Case key
- 200052
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 an attempted go around in gusty tailwind conditions, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.
Findings · 2
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 reported that the winds were calm during approach, but as the airplane arrived on final approach to land, the wind velocity increased significantly and changed direction. After feeling a strong tailwind, the pilot attempted to perform a go-around and turned the airplane to the right to avoid powerlines and trees. After leveling the airplane’s wings, and while at a height of about 20 ft above the ground, another tailwind gust struck the airplane and the right wing encountered an aerodynamic stall. The airplane’s right wing and nose subsequently impacted the ground before coming to rest in a nearly vertical attitude. The airplane’s wings and fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N497AR
- Reported as
- Frank Lowell C Pietenpol
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- LCF2
- Built
- 1999
- Airframe hours
- 6,731
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · August 26, 2024 · 25.1 hours before
- Departed
- NC27 · Lenoir, NC
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- PVT · Crossroads Grill Airstrip, runway 09, 1,500 × 75 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 74
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- September 13, 2023
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 3,926 total · 233 in this make and model · 3,926 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 14 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.24 inHg
- Observed at
- HKY, 9 nm away
- METAR
- KHKY 181653Z 21014G24KT 10SM CLR 23/07 A3024 RMK AO2 SLP223 T02280067
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 5, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.8 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.