Amateur-built AVID FLYER IV accident near Pryor, Oklahoma, May 29, 2012
On May 29, 2012 at about 2:45 pm local time, a amateur-built AVID FLYER IV, registered N85AY, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Pryor, Oklahoma (Mid-America Industrial 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 during a high speed taxi.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 2012 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Pryor, Oklahoma · Mid-America Industrial Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AVID FLYER IV
- Registration
- N85AY · no longer on the register · serial 984
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing a high speed taxi before an intended local flight. During the high speed taxi, the airplane's tail rose off the ground, and the pilot reduced power. During the subsequent rollout, the tailwheel started to shimmy, and the pilot applied left and right rudder. The airplane veered left, exited the runway, went down a steep slope, and impacted the side of a drainage ditch, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions.
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
- Loss of control on ground during taxi defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 820 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 780 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 21, 2012
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 381 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 25, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: H71 Pryor OK at 2:45 pm
- Destination: H71 Pryor OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.