Amateur-built NELSON WOODY accident near Hope, Arkansas, July 18, 2016
On July 18, 2016 at about 3:30 pm local time, a amateur-built NELSON WOODY, registered N525AG, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Hope, Arkansas (Hope Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of control upon landing for reasons that could not be determined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 2016 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hope, Arkansas · Hope Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built NELSON WOODY NO SERIES
- Registration
- N525AG · registry record · serial 2281
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was conducting touch-and-go landings in the homebuilt, tailwheel-equipped, experimental airplane. After a normal touchdown, the airplane veered to the left off the asphalt runway surface and ground looped as it departed the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. Postaccident examination revealed that the left main landing gear retaining mechanism was broken, but it was not clear if the damage occurred before or after the loss of control. The pilot, who was the builder of the airplane and had about 500 hours of flight time in the airplane, reported that he believed that the retaining mechanism could have broken upon landing and resulted in the ground loop. The winds were light and variable at the time of the accident. Because the damage to the landing gear retention mechanism could have occurred before or after the loss of control, the reason for the loss of control could not be determined.
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
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: M18 Hope AR
- Destination: M18 Hope AR
- Runway 16, 5,501 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,700 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 3:16 pm from TXK, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on April 9, 2019. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memorandum for the Record - Pilot Phone Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for the Record - FAA Inspector Phone Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
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.