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Accidents · NTSB ANC16CA050 · Final report

Amateur-built ANTARES accident near North Pole, Alaska, August 3, 2016

On August 3, 2016 at about 5:05 am local time, a 2007 amateur-built ANTARES, registered N8512Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near North Pole, Alaska (Bradley Sky-Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the weight-shift control airplane during the landing in a crosswind condition, which resulted in a runway excursion, a tip over of the wing, and a collision with terrain.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
August 3, 2016 · about 5:05 am local time
Place
North Pole, Alaska · Bradley Sky-Ranch · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Amateur-built ANTARES MA2, built 2007
Registration
N8512Q · no longer on the register · serial 24150HS
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot reported that while practicing stop-and-go landings with a crosswind condition, the tricycle-geared weight-shift control (WSC) airplane "weathervaned" to the right upon touchdown. In an attempt to correct for the weathervane, the pilot applied right pedal, the airplane departed the runway to the right, and tipped over coming to rest on the right leading edge of the wing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wing keel. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation safety inspector who responded to the accident site reported that he observed no mechanical malfunctions or failures with airframe and engine that would have precluded normal operation and none was reported to him by the pilot. In the recommendation section of the National Transportation Safety Board Accident/Incident Reporting Form 6120.1, the pilot stated that the accident may have been avoided if he had additional training that concentrated on ground handling and crosswind condition operations. The FAA has published the Weight-Shift Control Aircraft Flying Handbook FAA-H-8083-5 (2008). This handbook discusses crosswind landing procedures for WSC airplanes and states in part: When in final approach, the wind correction angle (crab angle) is established by heading toward the wind with the wings level so that the aircraft's ground track remains aligned with the centerline of the runway. This crab angle is maintained all the way to touchdown, when the rear wheels hit first and rotate the carriage and wing around so the front wheel touches the ground with the carriage going straight. However, if in turbulent air or pitched forward during the touchdown, with the front wheel touching the ground first, the pilot should lightly control the steering of the front wheel to be headed in the direction the carriage is going. WSC carriage front landing gear typically has camber that tends to steer the front wheel naturally in the direction of travel, so a light touch on the front wheel as it touches the ground allows it to find its own direction of travel. Once the front wheel is on the ground, lower the nose to keep the WSC on the ground and steer as required down the center of the runway. The procedure for the wing during the roundout is the same as that for normal and turbulent roundout and touchdowns. The exception is that after touchdown the windward wing should be lowered slightly so the wind cannot get under it to flip the WSC aircraft during later landing roll and taxi.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.

The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English

What happened, in order

  1. Other weather encounter during landing
  2. Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
  3. Runway excursion during landing
  4. Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing

The NTSB's findings

  • cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
  • cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
  • cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Crosswind correction › Not attained/maintained
  • Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Response/compensation

Pilot

  • Certificate: commercial pilot, military, private, student
  • Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
  • Flight time: 3,124.8 hours in all; 6.8 in this make and model
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: frt
  • Injury: no injuries

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 20.7 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, July 5, 2016
  • Maximum gross weight: 992 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 21 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: 95Z North Pole AK
  • Destination: 95Z North Pole AK
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 15, 4,100 ft by 60 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: broken clouds at 18,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
  • Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
  • Observation at 4:58 am from PAFB, 7 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

3 documents, released by the NTSB on October 25, 2016. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.

The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.

Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.