- Date
- March 26, 2016, 14:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lake Dallas, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N717SPPphu Ekolot KR-030 Topaz
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 1, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA North Texas FSDO
- FAA report
- 20160326003339A
- Case key
- 92907
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 directional control during the landing in a crosswind, which resulted in a runway excursion and an impact with terrain.
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 during the landing touchdown with a crosswind, the tail of the airplane was "hit with a burst of strong wind" from a nearby lake. He reported that before being able to react, the wind blew the airplane off the left side of the runway. The nose wheel collapsed, the right main landing gear separated, and the airplane impacted terrain in a ditch. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot verified that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during the landing touchdown with a crosswind, the tail of the airplane was "hit with a burst of strong wind" from a nearby lake. He reported that before being able to react, the wind blew the airplane off the left side of the runway. The nose wheel collapsed, the right main landing gear separated, and the airplane impacted terrain in a ditch. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot verified that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N717SP
- Reported as
- Pphu Ekolot KR-030 Topaz (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-03-10
- Built
- 2010
- Airframe hours
- 367
- Engine
- Rotax 912, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Niu Group Ad Inc
- Registered owner
- Niu Group Ad Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 16, 2015
- Departed
- 30F · Lake Dallas, TX
- Destination
- 30F · Lake Dallas, TX
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 30F · Lakeview, runway 18L, 2,815 × 30 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Airframe parachute, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Handheld GPS, Onboard weather
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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Last flight review
- July 30, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 286 total · 286 in this make and model · 141 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 9 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- KDTO, 10 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 2, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.6 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.