- Date
- February 28, 2019, 13:35 local (19:35 UTC)
- Place
- Floodwood, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N111YTDenney Kitfox MDL Classiciv
- Defining event
- Landing: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 6, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190228010599A
- Case key
- 99033
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 lateral control while landing in gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in a nose-over.
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 of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during landing in a crosswind, he planned to touch down 2 ft past the beginning of the compacted, snow-covered, private airstrip. He added that, "in order to perform [the short field landing, he] chose to ride the tires just over the terrain until touchdown." He reported further that, after the front main landing gear touched down, a wind gust picked up the right wing, the left tire sank in the snow, and the airplane decelerated and then nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were not preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the wind at the accident location, about the time of the accident, was from 230° at 9 knots, gusting to 15 knots. The pilot was landing the airplane to the southwest on a 210° heading.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during landing in a crosswind, he planned to touch down 2 ft past the beginning of the compacted snow-covered, private airstrip. He added that, "in order to perform [the short field landing, he] chose to ride the tires just over the terrain until touchdown". After the front main landing gear touched down, a "gust of wind" picked up the right-side wing, the left tire sank in the snow, and the airplane decelerated and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were not preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported the wind at the accident location, about the time of the accident as wind 230° at 9 knots, gusting to 15 knots. The pilot was landing to the southwest, heading 210°.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N111YT
- Reported as
- Denney Kitfox MDL Classiciv (IV1200)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- C97070196
- Built
- 2007
- Airframe hours
- 528.9
- Engine
- Rotax 912UL, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · May 22, 2018
- Departed
- COQ · Cloquet, MN
- Destination
- PVT · Floodwood, MN
- Airport
- PVT · Pvt, runway 21, 1,300 × 60 ft, snow
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display
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
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 28, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 233 total · 111 in this make and model · 233 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- -8 °F, dew point -11 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KCOQ, 21 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 4, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 903 KB 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.