Aviat A-1C-180 accident near Upper Sandusky, Ohio, January 15, 2013
On January 15, 2013 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Aviat A-1C-180, registered N7ZR, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Upper Sandusky, Ohio (Wyandot County 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 while landing in gusty crosswind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 15, 2013 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Upper Sandusky, Ohio · Wyandot County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aviat A-1C-180
- Registration
- N7ZR · registry record · serial 3040
- 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 he was practicing touch-and-go landings on runway 36. While on his third approach after making two landings, he noticed that the windsock was now favoring runway 18 and that the wind was gusting. He performed a go-around and made an approach to runway 18. After a conventional (tailwheel) landing, the airplane’s left wing started to rise and the tail swung to the right. The pilot applied left rudder, but the tail continued to the right. The right main gear buckled and the right wing struck the runway. The wing was crushed from the strut to the tip. The pilot did not report any preaccident malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 landing (landing roll) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 568 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 483 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 15, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 227 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 22, 2012; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K17G Bucyrus OH at 6:00 pm
- Destination: K56D Upper Sandusky OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,997 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from KFDY, 17 miles away
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.