- Date
- November 14, 2025, 14:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Bowling Green, KY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N897PRArion Lightning LS-1
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 7, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA LOU FSDO
- FAA report
- 20251114018929A
- Case key
- 202012
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 loss of directional control while landing in a strong quartering headwind, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with an airport sign.
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 reported that the wind speed at the airport had increased significantly since his departure about 1 hour earlier. He stated that at touchdown, an unexpected strong wind gust lifted the right wing, and the left wingtip contacted the runway. The airplane subsequently veered to the left and collided with an airport sign, which resulted in substantial damage to the engine mount. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot was landing with a 20° right-quartering headwind at 12 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N897PR
- Reported as
- Arion Lightning LS-1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 96
- Built
- 2010
- Airframe hours
- 333.5
- Engine
- Jabiru 3300, 120 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Pitchford Robert B
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 2025 · 10 hours before
- Airport
- BWG · Bowling Green-Warren County Rgnl, runway 21, 6,501 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, 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
- 73
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 6, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 756 total · 109 in this make and model · 705 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- KBWG
- METAR
- METAR KBWG 141953Z AUTO 23012KT 10SM FEW055 24/11 A3007
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 14, 2026, 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.