Amateur-built LM-5X-W accident near Limington, Maine, May 25, 2023
On May 25, 2023 at about 11:00 am local time, a 2019 amateur-built LM-5X-W, registered N970CE, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Limington, Maine (Limington-Harmon 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 inadequate compensation for the gusty crosswind conditions, which resulted in a collision with a tree during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 2023 · about 11:00 am local time
- Place
- Limington, Maine · Limington-Harmon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built LM-5X-W, built 2019
- Registration
- N970CE · no longer on the register · serial 1001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that despite the winds being calm at the surface, shortly after departing for the accident flight he encountered gusty wind above the trees near the airport. He continued around the traffic pattern and planned to land in an area of grass next to the paved runway. During the final approach to land, a sudden gust of wind pushed the airplane to the right of the runway toward trees and a hangar. The pilot described that there was not enough time to initiate a go around before the airplane contacted a tree and then the hangar. The airplane came to rest upside down on the ground and the fuselage and both wings were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the 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
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Response/compensation
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 982 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 945 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 28, 2022
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 31, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 1,350 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Valley Engineering VW 2276 (piston); 10 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 2,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 4 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 53°F (12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 July 7, 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, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.