Aero Sp Z O O AT-4 LSA accident near South Charleston, West Virginia, October 25, 2024
On October 25, 2024 at about 3:30 pm local time, a 2007 Aero Sp Z O O AT-4 LSA, registered N401G, suffered minor damage in an accident during landing (landing roll) near South Charleston, West Virginia (Mallory Airport). It was an instructional 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 pedestrian’s inadequate visual lookout while walking next to an active runway, which resulted in the airplane striking him during taxi.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 25, 2024 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- South Charleston, West Virginia · Mallory Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Sp Z O O AT-4 LSA, built 2007 · all AT-4 LSAs on the register
- Registration
- N401G · registry record · serial AT4-007
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
At the conclusion of a short cross-country flight, the flight instructor and student pilot elected to a perform takeoff and landings at their destination airport. The airport was privately owned, the single asphalt runway was 1,900 ft-long by 24 ft-wide, and there was no taxiway parallel to the runway. The flight instructor stated that, he scanned the runway for obstructions and announced over the airport’s Common Traffic Advisory Frequency the airplane’s position in the traffic pattern and their intent to land. No obstructions were observed during the landing. As the pilots taxied the airplane down the recently-paved runway, a person wearing dark-colored clothing “suddenly” came into view. The person was walking along the runway with his back toward the approaching airplane. The airplane’s left wingtip contacted the pedestrian and knocked him forcefully to the ground, resulting in serious injuries. The airplane’s wingtip incurred minor damage. The flight instructor then stopped the airplane, and he and the student rendered aid to the pedestrian until emergency responders arrived. The flight instructor reported that the pedestrian typically carried a hand-held radio that he would use to listen for traffic calls, but he was not carrying it with him on the day of the accident.
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
- AC/prop/rotor contact w person during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Other
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 738 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 600 as pilot in command; 106 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 6, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 37 hours in all; 9 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 244.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 30, 2024; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 251 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GAS Gallipolis OH at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 1,900 ft by 24 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,800 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 am from CRW, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KCRW 251554Z 16004KT 10SM -RA BKN048 OVC070 12/08 A3015 RMK AO2 RAB42 SLP211 P0000 T01220078
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 13, 2025. 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 | Investigation Photographs | 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 N401G 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 ERA25LA032.