Amateur-built HB-1 accident near Canandaigua, New York, May 8, 2015
On May 8, 2015 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 2009 amateur-built HB-1, registered N170HB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Canandaigua, New York (Canandaigua 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 failure to land beyond the marked runway threshold, which resulted in a collision with a culvert and a loss of control on the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 8, 2015 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Canandaigua, New York · Canandaigua · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built HB-1 NO SERIES, built 2009
- Registration
- N170HB · no longer on the register · serial 960401
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Due to the crosswind component, the pilot chose to land on an unpublished grass runway on the airport. According to the pilot, he approached the landing area low and slow without sufficient power to clear a culvert prior to the intended touchdown zone. The right landing gear impacted the culvert and the airplane departed the left side of the runway. The airplane came to rest after impacting a ditch to the left of the grass runway. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right side of the fuselage.
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
- Landing area undershoot during landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 800 hours in all; 359 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 349.2 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 25, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 1,240 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru 2200A (piston); 349 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: D38 Canandaigua NY at 5:30 pm
- Destination: D38 Canandaigua NY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from KPEO, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on June 30, 2015. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation (Pilot in Command) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation (Pilot in Command - 2) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 1 – Right Fuselage (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 2 – View of Grass Landing Area Threshold (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | 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.