Pietenpol Aircamper accident near Lometa, Texas, January 20, 2006
On January 20, 2006 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Pietenpol Aircamper, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N13708, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lometa, Texas. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing. Contributing factors were the sun glare and the rough and uneven landing area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 20, 2006 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lometa, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pietenpol Aircamper, amateur-built · all Aircampers on the register
- Registration
- N13708 · no longer on the register · serial 305
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 3,200-hour private pilot of a single-engine tail-wheel-equipped experimental airplane was landing on a rough and uneven 2,900-foot by 50-foot wide grass runway at a private airstrip. The pilot reported that his vision became impaired by the glare of the sun during the touchdown sequence. The left main lading gear collapsed after it impacted a rock, resulting in structural damage to the airplane. No mechanical anomalies were reported with the engine or the flight controls. The pilot reported the wind was light and variable at the time of the accident. The pilot further reported that landing the airplane in the opposite direction (away from the sun) would have been an option.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,200 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: March 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru E-81 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7ET3 Lometa TX at 11:15 pm
- Destination: Lometa TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N13708 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 DFW06CA059.