Northwing 17 N959RR

Summary

On 9 July 2018 at about 23:45 local time, a Northwing 17 registered N959RR was involved in an accident near Section, Alabama, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 July 2018 at 23:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Section, Alabama, United States

Coordinates

34.5222, -85.9864

Aircraft

Northwing 17

Registration

N959RR

Year built

2005

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Section → Section

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18LA188

1 person died.

The noncertificated pilot's failure to maintain control of the weight-shift-control aircraft during an aborted landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of flight experience in the aircraft.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The noncertificated pilot had purchased the experimental light sport weight-shift-control trike about 1 month before the accident and had not flown it. The day before the accident, the pilot mowed a runway into the tall grass behind his home. On the day of the accident, the pilot asked his wife if she wanted to watch him taxi the aircraft; she did not realize he was going to fly it. He taxied back and forth a few times on runway, then initiated a takeoff. About 10 minutes later, the pilot returned to the runway for landing. The aircraft abruptly touched down, then bounced back into the air. Remaining airborne, it turned to the right and the right wing impacted the top of a tree before the aircraft subsequently impacted the ground. Examination of the aircraft revealed no mechanical discrepancies that would have precluded normal operation at that time of the accident. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with a loss of control during an aborted landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.