Amateur-built SKY HOPPER II accident near Edgewood, New Mexico, February 8, 1996
On February 8, 1996 at about 6:00 pm local time, a amateur-built SKY HOPPER II, registered N2795, was substantially damaged in an accident near Edgewood, New Mexico (Sandia Airpark 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 exceeding the airplane's crosswind component which led to his inability to compensate for the crosswind conditions. A factor was the gusty winds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 1996 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Edgewood, New Mexico · Sandia Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SKY HOPPER II SKY HOPPER
- Registration
- N2795 · no longer on the register · serial M3577
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the takeoff roll to the east, the experimental homebuilt airplane veered to the left of the runway. The pilot applied right rudder and brake; however, the airplane did not respond. The pilot reported the winds varied from 6 to 8 mph from the northeast through the northwest with 'occasional northerly gust' to 15 mph. A rudder modification by the pilot increased the surface area by 170 square inches. Following the modification, the pilot had flown the airplane 38.06 hours, and he considered the 'rudder authority as fairly good.' The pilot recalled that several weeks before the current accident he had applied full right rudder during a takeoff with a 'varying crosswind.' He reported that 'he was probably operating the [modified] rudder at the limit of its design capacity in [the] gust.'
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 738 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 775 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 38 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1995; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NM51
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 5,280 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.