- Date
- May 16, 2026, 14:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Vernal, UT · KVEL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N252LMCirrus Design SR22T
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20260516006449A
- Case key
- 203006
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 control during the landing flare with a gusting crosswind.
Findings · 5
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 airplane reported that, during the landing flare, the airplane encountered an estimated over 40 knot crosswind gust. The right wing was lifted; the pilot corrected with aileron and rudder and applied full power to the engine to go-around. Subsequently, the left-wing tip struck the ground, and the airplane spun 180° as it exited the left side of the runway. The airplane came to rest upright and sustained substantial damage to the right-wing spar and aileron. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing the airplane on runway 17 with wind from 280° at 16 knots, gusting 25 knots. A peak gust recorded one minute after the accident was from 270° at 37 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N252LM
- Reported as
- Cirrus Design SR22T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 0543
- Built
- 2013
- Airframe hours
- 1,086
- Engine
- Cont Motor TSIO-550-K, 315 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Forest Restoration Inc
- Registered owner
- Forest Restoration Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 28, 2026 · 27 hours before
- Departed
- KGNG · Gooding, ID
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- KVEL · Vernal Regional, runway 17, 7,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Airframe parachute, Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Handheld GPS, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 31, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 1,454 total · 580 in this make and model · 1,337 as pilot in command · 66 in the last 90 days · 31 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 16 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 11,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.79 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- KVEL
- METAR
- METAR KVEL 161953Z AUTO 28016G25KT 10SM FEW033 BKN110 22/M02 A2979 RMK AO2 PK WND 27046/1941 RAB36E53 SLP024 P0000
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 25, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.1 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.