# NTSB LAX07CA006: Harry D. Miller Midget Mustang 1, N14HM, Reno, NV, October 12, 2006 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: October 12, 2006, 12:05 local (19:05 UTC) - Place: Reno, NV - Coordinates: 39.667221, -119.872222 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.6672&lon=-119.8722&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report January 31, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 64702 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX07CA006 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/64702/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX07CA006 ## Probable cause the pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions and failure to maintain directional control during the landing rollout. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - weather condition - crosswind - compensation for wind conditions - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - soft - Gear collapsed, landing - roll ## Analysis The airplane veered off the runway and collapsed the landing gear while landing. The pilot said he made a good wheel landing 1,200 feet down the runway. As the airplane slowed down, he had planned to exit the runway at the mid-field turn off. The tail wheel was still in the air when a strong crosswind struck the airplane and it veered off the runway. After the airplane departed the runway, the landing gear collapsed when it encountered soft sand, which caused structural damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot stated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight. The pilot and personnel at the scene of the accident reported that the winds were out of the east with gusts around 14 knots. The closest aviation weather reporting facility 11 miles away was reporting variable winds at 3 knots. ## Factual narrative On October 12, 2006, at 1205 Pacific daylight time, an experimental Miller Midget Mustang 1, N14HM, veered off runway 08 and collapsed the landing gear during the landing roll at Reno/Stead Airport (4SD), Reno, Nevada. The owner/pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local personal flight departed Stead about 1030. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The approximate global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the primary wreckage were 39 degrees 40.02 minutes north latitude and 119 degrees 52.20 minutes west longitude. The pilot reported that he made a good wheel landing about 1,200 feet down the runway from the threshold of runway 08. As the airplane slowed down, he had planned to exit the runway at the mid-field turn off. The tail wheel was still in the air when a strong crosswind struck the airplane, after which it veered off of the runway. The landing gear collapsed when the airplane encountered soft sand, which caused structural damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot stated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight. The pilot and personnel at the scene of the accident reported that the winds were out of the east with gusts around 14 knots. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N14HM](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N14HM), registered now, S/N HDM-599 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Harry D. Miller Midget Mustang 1 - Registry model: [Miller MIDGET MUSTANG 1](https://openairdocs.org/model/miller-midget-mustang-1) (registry code 0562928) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: HDM-599 - Airframe hours: 779.1 - Engines: Lycoming O-320-E2D 150 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Continuous airworthiness, August 1, 2006, 2.5 hours before - Departed: 4SD, Reno, NV - Airport: 4SD, Reno/Stead, runway 08, 7,608 × 150 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 75; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; seat: front; flight hours: 3,112 total, 649 in this make and model, 2 in the last 90 days, 2 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: variable at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 64 °F, dew point 34 °F - Altimeter: 30.06 inHg - Observed at: 4SD, 11 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 20061012025329A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20061012025329A), Oct 12, 2006: Miller MIDGETMUSTAN, Reno, NV, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot encountered gusty cross wind on landing and ran off right side of rwy 8 at 4SD. 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.