Amateur-built LIGHTNING accident near Canandaigua, New York, June 21, 2022
On June 21, 2022 at about 5:55 pm local time, a 2009 amateur-built LIGHTNING, registered N51TM, suffered minor damage in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Canandaigua, New York (Canandaigua Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s performance of an off-airport landing shortly after takeoff for reasons that could not be determined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 2022 · about 5:55 pm local time
- Place
- Canandaigua, New York · Canandaigua Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built LIGHTNING NO SERIES, built 2009
- Registration
- N51TM · registry record · serial 9
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after takeoff, the experimental amateur-built airplane was seen by a witness near the accident site flying about 20 ft above a wheat field. The pilot performed an off-airport landing in the field, which resulted in the nose landing gear collapsing. The pilot sustained serious injuries, and his only recollections of the accident were that he thought the field was flat but encountered a bump during the landing and that he shut off the fuel selector after the accident. The pilot passed away more than 30 days after the accident. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed an adequate supply of fuel in both fuel tanks with no contaminants found. No discrepancies were noted during a visual inspection of the engine compartment, but during an attempt to start the engine following activation of the auxiliary fuel pump, a fuel hose from the gascolator to the engine-driven fuel pump separated from the outlet fitting of the gascolator due to inadequate clamping force. The hose was re-installed onto the fitting, and the engine was started and found to operate normally at low power; a full-power engine run was not performed due to impact-damaged propeller blades. While the airplane designer reported that a loose fuel hose at the outlet of the gascolator could introduce air into the fuel supply, it could not be determined whether this condition existed prior to, or was a result of the impact, and the reason the pilot performed an off-airport landing shortly after takeoff could not be determined.
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
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing (landing roll)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
- Unknown or undetermined during unknown defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,776 hours in all; 410 in this make and model
- Last flight review: April 6, 2022
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 413 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 17, 2021; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru 3300 (piston); 413 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 3000.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:05 pm from IUA, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): 2206211805 CLR 10 029 018 25 004 3000
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
9 documents, released by the NTSB on November 15, 2023. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of NTSB Conversations | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | NTSB Prepared Partial Transcription of Communications | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Memorandum for Record - Information Regarding Fuel Hose at Gascolator Outlet | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Electronic Devices - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15, and NTSB Evidence Control Form | 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 N51TM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.