- Date
- April 28, 2023, 18:00 local (Apr 29, 2023, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Ennis, MT · KEKS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N687HZKerr John Hatz Classic
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- 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
- 20230428018639A
- Case key
- 193150
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 failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll which resulted in a ground-loop.
Findings · 1
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, experimental amateur-built airplane, reported that during the landing roll he decreased the airplane’s speed to exit the runway, but a ground loop ensued. He did not recall whether he inadvertently applied the heel brakes, or if the airplane encountered a wind gust. The meteorological aerodrome report located at the accident airport about the time of the accident reported that, the wind was out of 130° and the wind velocity was 4 knots. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the bottom left wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N687HZ
- Reported as
- Kerr John Hatz Classic
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 687
- Built
- 2009
- Airframe hours
- 116
- Engine
- Rotec R3600, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · April 15, 2023 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- U02 · Blackfoot, ID
- Destination
- EKS · Ennis, MT
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- EKS · Ennis Big Sky, runway 16, 7,600 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Electronic flight bag or handheld 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
- 73
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 28, 2023
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,111 total · 6 in this make and model · 2,056 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.22 inHg
- Observed at
- KEKS, 1 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KEKS 282355Z AUTO 13004KT 10SM CLR 18/M07 A3022 RMK AO2=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 4, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.5 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.