Amateur-built VANS AIRCRAFT RV 9A accident near Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin, July 19, 2015
On July 19, 2015 at about 6:35 pm local time, a 2006 amateur-built VANS AIRCRAFT RV 9A, registered N142DD, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin (Kings Land O' Lakes airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain a proper descent rate, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 2015 · about 6:35 pm local time
- Place
- Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin · Kings Land O' Lakes · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VANS AIRCRAFT RV 9A A, built 2006
- Registration
- N142DD · registry record · serial 90732
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and passenger were landing on a grass strip when the airplane landed hard and bounced twice. The nose gear fork embedded in the grass surface, the nose gear collapsed, and the propeller lodged in the soil. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and main spar. Although the pilot thought that the airplane had hit an uneven surface during landing that caused the gear to collapse, an examination of the grass runway did not reveal any irregularities in the surface of the area of the nose gear collapse.
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
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Aero Sport Power O-320-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: LNL Land O' Lakes WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway UNK, 2,577 ft by 130 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 12 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 6:35 pm from KLNL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN15LA351.