Fagan BEARHAWK N232PF

Summary

On 12 May 2009 at about 20:05 local time, a Fagan BEARHAWK registered N232PF, operated by Patrick J. Fagan, was involved in an accident near Hadley, Nevada, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 May 2009 at 20:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Hadley, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Round Mountain (A36)

Coordinates

38.6942, -117.1469

Aircraft

Fagan BEARHAWK

Registration

N232PF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Patrick J. Fagan

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hadley → Hadley

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR09CA240

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate compensation for the gusting crosswinds during takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that prior to departure in his tailwheel-equipped airplane, the windsock was indicating strong winds perpendicular to the runway with variable gusts. He stated that he waited until he saw a favorable (headwind) gust and then applied takeoff power. During the takeoff roll, the airplane encountered a strong gust of wind from the right, which lifted the right wing and the left wing struck the runway. The airplane pivoted to the left, veered off the runway surface, and impacted a dirt berm. The airplane sustained structural damage to the wings. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine. The nearest weather reporting station is located 38 nautical miles south of the accident airport, and was reporting winds at the time of the accident at 3.3 miles per hour (mph) gusting to 14.3 mph.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.