- Date
- April 5, 2023, 11:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Susanville, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1641ELowe Bruce Skystr Ktfx IV-1200
- Defining event
- Landing: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20230405013209A
- Case key
- 107034
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 braking technique during an off airport precautionary landing on unforeseen soft terrain, which resulted in a nose over.
Findings · 2
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, while flying low to observe the unusual water flows from mountains, he noted abnormal engine behavior. He elected to perform a precautionary landing on flat terrain due to nearby rising terrain. Upon touchdown, the airplane experienced a slight ballooning effect, leading the pilot to apply maximum braking upon touchdown. The tires grabbed harder than expected due to soft terrain and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. A postaccident engine test run by the pilot revealed no anomalies or an explanation for the abnormal engine behavior.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1641E
- Reported as
- Lowe Bruce Skystr Ktfx IV-1200
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1854
- Built
- 1992
- Airframe hours
- 654
- Engine
- Yamaha APEX, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 4, 2022 · 73 hours before
- Departed
- KSVE · Susanville, CA
- Destination
- KRTS · Stead, NV
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Satellite tracking device
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
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 587 total · 516 in this make and model · 577 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- KSVE, 26 nm away
- METAR
- KSVE 051755Z AUTO 05007KT 10SM CLR 03/M07 A3018 RMK AO2
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 15, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 MB 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.