- Date
- November 4, 2018, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Elyria, OH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N21ZAFlight Design Ctls
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 6, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20181104021489A
- Case key
- 98602
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 adequate airspeed during landing in variable gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in a hard landing and runway excursion.
Findings · 5
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 landing, the airplane encountered a gusting crosswind from the right. The airplane was configured with 0° flaps, and the airspeed was about 55 knots, and the airplane was about 5 ft above ground level. The airplane's airspeed was too slow for the gusting right crosswind conditions, and the airplane landed hard on the runway. The right main landing gear wheel separated from the airplane during the landing, and the airplane exited the runway to the right. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right main landing gear attachment points and the cabin's monocoque structure. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The METAR at the airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 140° at 11 knots, gusting to 19 knots.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during landing, the airplane encountered a gusting crosswind from the right. The airplane was configured with 0° flaps, and his airspeed was about 55 knots when the airplane was 5ft AGL. He reported that the airplane's airspeed was too slow for the gusting right crosswind conditions, and the airplane landed hard on the runway. The right main landing gear wheel separated from the airplane during the landing, and the airplane exited the runway to the right. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right main landing gear attachment points and the cabin's monocoque structure. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The METAR at the airport reported that about the time of the accident, the wind was from 140° at 11 knots, and gusting to 19 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21ZA
- Reported as
- Flight Design Ctls (Undesignat)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- F-10-09-04
- Built
- 2011
- Airframe hours
- 2,396.3
- Engine
- Rotax 912 ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ras Aviation Llc
- Registered owner
- Ras Aviation Llc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 5, 2018
- Departed
- LPR · Elyria, OH
- Destination
- LPR · Elyria, OH
- Airport
- LPR · Lorain County Rgnl, runway 07, 5,002 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Stall warning system, Airframe parachute, 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
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- June 4, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 145 total · 81 in this make and model · 142 as pilot in command · 1.7 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 11 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.22 inHg
- Observed at
- KLPR
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 11, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.8 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.
Other investigations on N21ZA · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.