- Date
- May 30, 1998, 11:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Delano, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6179ARans S6EX Coyote II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980530011469A
- Case key
- 30102
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 inadequate compensation for wind conditions, failure to maintain directional control, and his failure to maintain aircraft control
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
During landing, the aircraft encountered a sudden wind gust, the effects of which the pilot failed to control. The results were a wing tip drag, a lateral runway departure, and a subsequent noseover.
Factual narrative
On May 30, 1998, at 1100 hours Pacific daylight time, a homebuilt RANS S6EX Coyote II, N6179A, was substantially damaged when it drug a wing and nosed over during landing on runway 14 at Delano, California, airport. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured and there was no property damage.
In his accident report, the pilot stated that, as the aircraft was touching down, he encountered a strong wind gust that lifted the right wing and he was unable to correct the upset before the left wing contacted the ground. The surface wind at the time of landing was reported as 140 degrees magnetic at 4 knots with random gusts to 15 knots. The pilot also stated that there was no mechanical problem with the aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6179A
- Reported as
- Rans S6EX Coyote II (S6EX COYOT)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 0493472
- Airframe hours
- 188
- Engine
- Rotax 4400817, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bruce W. Sproles
- Registered owner
- Thomas R. Aune
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 24, 1997 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- TCY · Tracy, CA
- Destination
- DLO · Delano, CA
- Airport
- DLO · Delano Municipal, runway 14, 5,650 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 141 total · 47 in this make and model · 90 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 4 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.