- Date
- December 30, 2025, 09:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Louisburg, NC · Embankment East of Runway 23 @ LHZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N506SRCirrus Design SR20
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 14, 2026
- 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
- 20251230019089A
- Case key
- 202225
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 compensate for gusting crosswind conditions and subsequent loss of directional control following an aborted go-around attempt, which resulted in a runway excursion.
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 purpose of this flight was to perform closed-traffic pattern operations at the departure airport. Shortly after departure, the pilot noticed increased wind on the downwind leg and during the turn to final approach. Once on final approach, he initially flew at an indicated airspeed of 65 knots. The pilot then accelerated the airplane to 80 knots “to maintain control” and because “final approach was longer than usual, and the PAPIs [precision approach path indicators] indicated I was low.” He crossed the threshold left of the runway centerline, then at 15 to 20 ft above the runway, the pilot reduced engine power to idle. At the same time, he encountered a gust of wind and the airplane yawed to the left. The pilot attempted to perform a go-around, but touched down with the airplane’s nose pointed 20° to 25° left of the runway heading. He then reduced the engine power to idle and applied right brake to keep the airplane on the runway. The airplane continued to the left, departed the runway, and struck a lighting assembly for the precision approach path indicator. The airplane passed through an area of grass and impacted an embankment east of the runway. During the runway excursion, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N506SR
- Reported as
- Cirrus Design SR20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1692
- Built
- 2006
- Airframe hours
- 2,487.1
- Engine
- Teledyne Continental Motors IO-360-ES, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mcknight Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- Mcknight Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 6, 2025 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- LHZ · Louisburg, NC
- Airport
- LHZ · Triangle North Exec, runway 23, 5,498 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Airframe parachute, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Satellite tracking device, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot
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
- 48
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 28, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 108 total · 15 in this make and model · 10 as pilot in command · 42 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 9 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.08 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- LHZ
- METAR
- METAR KLHZ 301435Z AUTO 28009G16KT 240V330 10SM CLR 00/M11 A3008 RMK AO2
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 14, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.5 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.