- Date
- January 14, 2012, 11:58 local (19:58 UTC)
- Place
- San Diego, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N409EVEvektor-Aerotechnik Sportstar
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 8, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120114002389A
- Case key
- 82682
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 directional control during the landing roll.
Findings · 4
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, who was making a full-stop landing, noticed that there was a left crosswind as he crossed the runway threshold. During the landing roll, the variable wind changed to a right crosswind, and the pilot did not adequately compensate for the change in the wind direction. He lost directional control of the airplane, and it departed the left side of the runway and sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot, who was intending to make a full-stop landing, noticed that there was a crosswind coming from the left as he crossed the runway threshold. During the landing roll, the variable wind changed to a crosswind from the right and the pilot did not adequately compensate for the change in the wind direction. He therefore lost directional control of the airplane, which subsequently departed the left side of the runway and sustained substantial damage to both of its wings. The pilot indicated that there were no mechanical malfunctions related to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N409EV
- Reported as
- Evektor-Aerotechnik Sportstar
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20050409
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sport Aviation Sales LLC
- Registered owner
- Sport Aviation Sales LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Departed
- KHMT · Hemet, CA
- Destination
- KSDM · San Diego, CA
- Airport
- KSDM · Brown Field, runway 26R, 7,972 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 774 total · 51 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- KSDM
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 25, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 137 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.
Other investigations on N409EV · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.