Amateur-built LSA-8X accident near Hyannis, Massachusetts, May 7, 2026
On May 7, 2026 at about 3:30 pm local time, a amateur-built LSA-8X, registered N912Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Hyannis, Massachusetts (Cape Cod Gateway airport). It was a flight test 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 control of the airplane while landing, which resulted in a ground loop and subsequent nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 7, 2026 · about 3:30 pm local time · cases in 2026
- Place
- Hyannis, Massachusetts · Cape Cod Gateway · 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 LSA-8X
- Registration
- N912Z · registry record · serial 8021
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that this was the first flight of the experimental exhibition airplane. After departure, she performed maneuvers in the airplane and observed acceptable performance of certain flight instruments, flight controls, and avionics. After she finished the maneuvers, the pilot flew to her destination airport. According to the pilot, everything was normal until touchdown, when the airplane landed hard, bounced, and began to porpoise. The pilot reported, “I realized I should have gone around too late.” The airplane then ground looped and nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s fuselage and empennage. The pilot stated that there were 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
- Nose over/nose down during landing
- Loss of control on ground during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,471 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1,385 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 25, 2025
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 14, 2026; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Aerospace Technolo O-200-D4B (piston); 2 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5B6 East Falmouth MA at 6:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 5,425 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.68 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 pm from HYA, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KHYA 072056Z 22011KT 10SM CLR 14/05 A2968
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 5 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – N912Z On Runway after Nose-Over
Photograph 2 – Large Cracks in Windshield
Photograph 3 – Skin Wrinkling, Spar Damage to Vertical Stabilizer
Photograph 4 – Punctured Interior Cover of Landing Gear
Photograph 5 – Engine Mount Bolts Bent, ElongatedThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on July 15, 2026. 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 Photos | PDF, 6 pages · our copy | 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
- N912Z on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Continental Aerospace Technolo O-200-D4B 1 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Cape Cod Gateway Airport · nearest airport
- Falmouth Airpark · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Massachusetts 987 since 1982 · 90 in the last ten years
- Massachusetts 2,646 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA26LA202.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.