Amateur-built SUPER CUB SPORT accident near Austin, Nevada, May 12, 2017
On May 12, 2017 at about 10:40 pm local time, a 2012 amateur-built SUPER CUB SPORT, registered N1111E, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Austin, Nevada (Austin 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 maintain adequate airspeed during landing in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in a loss of directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 2017 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Austin, Nevada · Austin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SUPER CUB SPORT NO SERIES, built 2012
- Registration
- N1111E · registry record · serial 471C
- 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 he had been practicing touch-and-go landings and short takeoffs and landings in gusting wind conditions. On the fourth landing, the airplane encountered a wind gust, and he lost directional control of the airplane. He attempted to go around, but the left wing struck desert brush, and the airplane spun to the left. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the rudder, and the horizontal stabilizer. Per the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented if, "in the wind conditions, I…[had] carried a little more airspeed to help with the gusts." The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with 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
- Other weather encounter during landing
- Loss of control in flight during landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 7,254 hours in all; 2,758 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 4, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 778 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, February 20, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-323-B2B (piston); 3,038 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TMT Austin NV at 10:00 pm
- Destination: TMT Austin NV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 21 knots, gusting 26
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KP68, 56 miles away
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 October 5, 2017. 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 | Photo (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.