Amateur-built STORCH accident near Titusville, Florida, May 25, 2012
On May 25, 2012 at about 4:18 pm local time, a amateur-built STORCH, registered N126SR, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Titusville, Florida (Arthur Dunn Air Park 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 landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 2012 · about 4:18 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Titusville, Florida · Arthur Dunn Air Park · 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
- Amateur-built STORCH
- Registration
- N126SR · registry record · serial 125SR
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he was performing the sixth or seventh touch-and-go landing of the day. The windsock indicated a slight crosswind from the left just before touchdown, but, upon landing, a "very strong gust from the right" lifted the wing and pushed the airplane to the left. The pilot responded with adjustments in engine power, rudder, and aileron, but he was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane dragged a wing, ground looped, and the landing gear collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing and fuselage. After the accident, the pilot reported that there were no deficiencies in the performance and handling of his airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Ability to respond/compensate
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 110 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 63 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 3, 2012
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Mattituck IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X21 Titusville FL
- Destination: X21 Titusville FL
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 04, 1,805 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 5:47 pm from KTIX, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on July 19, 2012. 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 | Memormadum for Record - 6120 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Titusville (Tix) Meteorological Observations | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 1 - Overview of Wreckage (FAA) | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N126SR on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Mattituck IO-360 57 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Arthur Dunn Air Park Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 985 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,699 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA12CA370.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.