Amateur-built Horizon 1 accident near Richland, Missouri, November 18, 2001
On November 18, 2001 at about 10:49 pm local time, a amateur-built Horizon 1, registered N565LL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Richland, Missouri (Richland Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not attaining altitude/clearance from the tree line during the aborted landing. Factors to the accident were the pilot selecting to operate the airplane on the rough/uneven runway, the pilot's lack of total experience in the airplane, and the tree line.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 2001 · about 10:49 pm local time
- Place
- Richland, Missouri · Richland Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Horizon 1
- Registration
- N565LL · no longer on the register · serial H057
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted a tree line while attempting an aborted landing. The pilot reported he encountered rough/uneven runway conditions during the taxi tests and unintentionally became airborne. The pilot stated he attempted three landings. On the third landing attempt he elected to abort the landing due to the rough/uneven runway condition. During the aborted landing the aircraft impacted a tree line. The pilot had no flight experience in the accident airplane prior to the accident flight. The pilot's last medical examination was on March 24, 1994. The FAA Airport/Facility Directory states the condition of the runway as being, "broken [asphalt] potholes with loose aggregate and grass growing in cracks."
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 122 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 17, 1998; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,038 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 532 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MO1 Richland MO at 10:45 pm
- Destination: MO1 Richland MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 3,000 ft by 49 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from TBN, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.