Amateur-built DSA-1 accident near Fulton, Missouri, May 12, 2021
On May 12, 2021 at about 6:00 pm local time, a amateur-built DSA-1, registered N179VP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Fulton, Missouri (Elton Hensley Memorial 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 control of the airplane during landing in gusty crosswinds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 2021 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fulton, Missouri · Elton Hensley Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DSA-1 · all DSA-1s on the register
- Registration
- N179VP · registry record · serial 1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported he was landing his tailwheel-equipped airplane when on touchdown, the airplane’s right wing lifted and the pilot lost control. The airplane nosed over and impacted on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and upper rear fuselage near the bulkhead. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing the airplane on runway 36 with wind from 060o at 11 knots with gusts to 17 knots.
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 defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 570 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 490 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 3, 2020
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 400 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 1, 2020
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KVLA Vandalia IL at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 4,001 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 11 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.41 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from KCOU, 10 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.
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 CEN21LA217.