- Date
- May 2, 2026, 09:53 local (16:53 UTC)
- Place
- Prineville, OR · airport runway
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N145WCosmos Phase II
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 27, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20260502010689A
- Case key
- 202932
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 inability to maintain directional control during the landing roll due to a flat tire.
Findings · 3
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 weight-shift control trike reported that, while landing, the trike touched down and started to oscillate back and forth. Subsequently, the trike rolled over, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing and the wing mast. According to the pilot, after the accident he observed the right rear tire was flat and would not inflate during the postaccident examination. No other preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the trike that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely the tire was deflated during touchdown, and the additional drag generated by the flat tire likely contributed to the oscillations during landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N145W
- Reported as
- Cosmos Phase II
- Category
- Weight-shift
- Serial number
- B0380
- Built
- 2003
- Airframe hours
- 350
- Engine
- Rotax 503, 52 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Airport
- S39 · Prineville, runway 18/36, 300 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- March 2, 2026
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 171 total · 136 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KRDM, 10 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KRDM 021656Z 02003KT 10SM CLR 16/06 A2998 RMK AO2 SLP134 T01610056
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 27, 2026, 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.