# NTSB LAX01LA087: Sutton Tailwind W-8L, N12079, Reno, NV, February 4, 2001 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: February 4, 2001, 13:50 local (21:50 UTC) - Place: Reno, NV - Coordinates: 39.839168, -119.746948 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.8392&lon=-119.7469&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 2 fatal - Status: Completed, report May 1, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA - Flight Standards District Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 51433 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX01LA087 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/51433/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX01LA087 ## Probable cause The pilot performed aerobatics at low altitude and failed to maintain clearance from the gound resulting in a collision with the terrain. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with terrain/water, maneuvering - aerobatics - attempted, pilot in command (cause) - altitude - low, pilot in command (cause) - altitude/clearance - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis The airplane was engaged in aerobatic maneuvers at the time of the accident and impacted the ground during a roll. Several witnesses observed the airplane maneuvering at low altitude and estimated the airplane's height at 50 feet prior to commencing the roll. One witness said he did not hear any noise that would indicate engine trouble. Investigators established control continuity. The control yoke was U-shaped with a single handle in front of each pilot position. The left handle bent straight out to the left and twisted counterclockwise; the pilot was outside of the airplane on the left side. The pilot's right hand was lacerated in the palm near the thumb. The pilot's brother flew the airplane earlier in the day, and did not experience any difficulties with the airplane or engine. Investigators examined the engine and observed no discrepancies that would have precluded normal operation of the engine. The kit builder's plans indicated that the airplane was not designed for aerobatics. ## Factual narrative On February 4, 2001, about 1350 hours Pacific standard time, an amateur-built experimental Sutton Tailwind W-8L, N12079, was destroyed when it collided with terrain while maneuvering 20 miles north of Reno, Nevada. The commercial pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot and one passenger, who was his son, sustained fatal injuries. The personal flight departed the Reno Stead Airport about 1330. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The accident's coordinates were 39 degrees 50.347 minutes north latitude and 119 degrees 44.828 minutes west longitude. According to witnesses interviewed by the Washoe County Sheriff's Office, the airplane was engaged in aerobatic maneuvers at the time of the accident and impacted the ground during a roll. Several witnesses observed the airplane maneuvering at low altitude and estimated the airplane's height at 50 feet prior to commencing the roll. One witness said he did not hear any noise that would indicate engine trouble. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) accident coordinator inspected the wreckage, and established control continuity. The control yoke was U-shaped. Each pilot position, left and right, had a single handle in front of it. These handles connected to a common shaft in the middle of the cabin. The right handle fractured and separated near its base. The passenger was in the right seat and remained in the wreckage. The left handle bent straight out to the left and twisted counterclockwise. The pilot was outside of the airplane on the left side. The pilot's right hand was lacerated in the palm near the thumb. There was no fire. The FAA coordinator interviewed the pilot's brother. The brother flew the airplane earlier in the day. Seventeen gallons of fuel were added after that flight. The brother reported that he did not experience any difficulties with the airplane or engine. The FAA coordinator reviewed the airplane's records. The kit builder's plans indicated that the airplane was not designed for aerobatics. A safety investigator for Textron Lycoming, who manufactured the engine components, inspected the engine under the supervision of the FAA accident coordinator. He reported that the propeller fractured and separated from the crankshaft, and the crankshaft was bent and twisted at the fracture surface. He could not manually rotate the engine. He performed a borescope inspection of the cylinders. He observed no mechanical damage to the pistons, valves, or interior of the cylinders. The spark plugs showed no sign of mechanical damage, and the color of the electrodes corresponded to normal operation according to the Champion Aviation Check-A-Plug AV-27 Chart. He observed no discrepancies that would have precluded normal operation of the engine. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N12079](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N12079-2012-12-13), registration cancelled 2012-12-13, S/N 28707, built 1972 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: SUTTON TAILWIND W-8L - Registry model: [Sutton TAILWIND W8L](https://openairdocs.org/model/sutton-tailwind-w8l) (registry code 9790290) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-290 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-290-series) (registry code 41506, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: 28707 - Airframe hours: 551 - Engines: Lycoming O-290-G4 125 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Gerald W. Cody - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Departed: 4SD, RENO, NV ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 39; injuries: fatal; flight instructor, commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2; seat: left; toxicology performed; flight hours: 304 total, 150 in this make and model, 100 in the last 90 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 64 °F, dew point 34 °F - Altimeter: 30.29 inHg - Observed at: RNO, 15 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20010204028819A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010204028819A), Feb 4, 2001: Amtr TAILWINDW8L, Reno, NV, Destroyed, 2 fatal. (-23) On 02/04/01, 1350 hours PST, this experimental amateur built airplane with two souls aboard collided with the terrain while maneuvering 20 miles north of… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.