Amateur-built JUST ACFT HIGHLANDER accident near Brainerd, Minnesota, August 7, 2021
On August 7, 2021 at about 7:25 pm local time, a 2012 amateur-built JUST ACFT HIGHLANDER, registered N234HW, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Brainerd, Minnesota (Brainerd Lakes Regional Airpor 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 crosswind landing that resulted in an impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2021 · about 7:25 pm local time
- Place
- Brainerd, Minnesota · Brainerd Lakes Regional Airpor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built JUST ACFT HIGHLANDER, built 2012
- Registration
- N234HW · registry record · serial JA262-03-12
- 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 flying an approach in a 90-degree, 20 knot crosswind, when during the landing on the grass runway, the wind pushed the airplane sideways and it subsequently impacted the terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage. 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 wind was 080o at 8 knots with gusts to 17 knots. The pilot reported he was attempting to make a short field landing and was “flying below stall speed”.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Other weather encounter 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 › Crosswind › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,350 hours in all; 908 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 1,275 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 26, 2021
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 911 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 26, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 911 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 8 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from BRD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 7, 2022. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Log | PDF, 1 page | 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.