Smith HORNET N218B accident near St. George, Utah

Probable cause

The pilot's loss of airplane control during takeoff due to an unexpected gust of wind.

NTSB analysis

Video from a security camera at the airport showed the airplane taxiing toward the end of the runway, and then the airplane was no longer in the camera's view. Shortly thereafter, the airplane came back into the camera's view and was seen just above the runway surface in a nearly wings vertical, nose low attitude just before impact with the ground.

The owner of the airplane reported that the pilot had accumulated thousands of flight hours and estimated that he had a total of 5 flight hours in the accident airplane. The owner also stated that the pilot had flown the airplane only when the wind was calm to ensure that he could understand the airplane and its handling characteristics.

Postaccident examination of the airframe revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot's toxicology results indicated that he had taken a medically disqualifying medication. However, no evidence indicated that the use of the medication was a factor in the accident.

The airplane owner stated that a strong gust of wind, at a velocity that was strong enough to shake the building he was in, occurred just before the accident. About the time of the accident, the wind direction was reported as perpendicular to the runway surface, with a wind speed of 8 knots. No gusts were reported. The owner of the airplane also stated that random gusts of wind were relatively common at the airport due to the surrounding desert terrain. Thus, it is likely that the pilot experienced an unexpected strong gusting crosswind and lost control of the airplane during the takeoff sequence.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR18LA217 for the full record.