- Date
- May 7, 2026, 15:30 UTC
- Place
- Hyannis, MA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N912ZSherry Grobstein LSA-8X
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 15, 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
- 20260507009599A
- Case key
- 202960
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 while landing, which resulted in a ground loop and subsequent nose over.
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 this was the first flight of the experimental exhibition airplane. After departure, she performed maneuvers in the airplane and observed acceptable performance of certain flight instruments, flight controls, and avionics. After she finished the maneuvers, the pilot flew to her destination airport. According to the pilot, everything was normal until touchdown, when the airplane landed hard, bounced, and began to porpoise. The pilot reported, “I realized I should have gone around too late.” The airplane then ground looped and nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s fuselage and empennage. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N912Z
- Reported as
- Sherry Grobstein LSA-8X
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 8021
- Airframe hours
- 2
- Engine
- Continental Aerospace Technologies O-200-D4B, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · April 14, 2026 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- 5B6 · East Falmouth, MA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- HYA · Cape Cod Gateway, runway 24, 5,425 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, ADS-B
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
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- July 25, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,471 total · 8 in this make and model · 1,385 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.68 inHg
- Observed at
- HYA, 1 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KHYA 072056Z 22011KT 10SM CLR 14/05 A2968
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 15, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.5 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.