Iniziative Industriali Italian SKY ARROW 600 SPORT accident near Ridgely, Maryland, March 2, 2011
On March 2, 2011 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Iniziative Industriali Italian SKY ARROW 600 SPORT, registered N435SA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Ridgely, Maryland (Ridgley Airpark 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 compensate for crosswind conditions and loss of directional control during landing, resulting in a runway excursion and nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 2, 2011 · about 3:00 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Ridgely, Maryland · Ridgley Airpark · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Iniziative Industriali Italian SKY ARROW 600 SPORT · all SKY ARROW 600 SPORTs on the register
- Registration
- N435SA · registry record · serial LSA005
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot landed with a left crosswind and the airplane started veering to the right. The pilot removed the crosswind correction while applying the brakes with the brake handle which was located on the control stick. The airplane continued off the right side of the runway. The nose landing gear dug into the grass and the airplane nosed over inverted into a ditch. Both wings and the tail section sustained structural damage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical problems with the airplane.
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 (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: private, sport pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 231 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 196 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 10, 2010
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 616 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 30, 2010; 82 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RJD Ridgely MD at 2:58 pm
- Destination: RJD Ridgely MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 3,214 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from ESN, 13 miles away
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 April 29, 2011. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Interview Summary Gayner | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N435SA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N435SA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Iniziative Industriali Italian SKY ARROW 600 SPORT 17 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Iniziative Industriali Italian 22 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS 62 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Gooden Airpark · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Maryland 837 since 1982 · 111 in the last ten years
- Maryland 2,357 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N435SA 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA11CA178.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.