Pietenpol AIRCAMPER accident near Lockhart, Texas, March 6, 2024
On March 6, 2024 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 2012 Pietenpol AIRCAMPER, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N7710J, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Lockhart, Texas (Lockhart Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 during after takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 2024 · about 7:00 pm local time · cases in 2024
- Place
- Lockhart, Texas · Lockhart Municipal · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pietenpol AIRCAMPER NO SERIES, built 2012, amateur-built · all AIRCAMPERs on the register
- Registration
- N7710J · registry record · serial 001
- 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, shortly after takeoff from runway 18, the airplane moved laterally to the left. The pilot tried to correct by inputting right rudder and right aileron. The left wing rose abruptly, and the airplane crossed to the right side of the runway. The airplane lost lift and landed in the grass on the right side of the runway. The pilot attempted to stop, but the airplane slid into a drainage ditch. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported swirling wind contributed to the loss of control. The reported wind at an airport 10 miles northwest was 150° at 6 kts.
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 in flight during takeoff defining event
- Other weather encounter during takeoff
- Attempted remediation/recovery during takeoff
- Runway excursion during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,070 hours in all; 288 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 7,663 as pilot in command; 6,556 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 23, 2023
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 288.5 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 17, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-3 (piston); 288 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 50R Lockhart TX at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 4,001 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 12:56 pm from KHYI, 10 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KHYI 061856Z 15006KT 10SM CLR 26/18 A2990
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on May 29, 2024. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N7710J on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Pietenpol AIR CAMPER 9 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Pietenpol 12 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental A-65-3 5 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lockhart Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,063 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,976 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN24LA132.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.