Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P2008 accident near Lone Rock, Wisconsin, July 18, 2017
On July 18, 2017 at about 1:00 am local time, a 2016 Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P2008, registered N445X, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Lone Rock, Wisconsin (Tri-County Rgnl 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 student pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing and subsequent loss of directional control and runway excursion during the aborted landing. Contributing to the improper landing flare was the student’s distraction by a deer running across the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 2017 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Lone Rock, Wisconsin · Tri-County Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P2008 NO SERIES, built 2016 · all P2008s on the register
- Registration
- N445X · no longer on the register · serial 119
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot reported that he was practicing a stop-and-go landing on the asphalt runway. He recalled that, while on the downwind leg of the approach pattern, he was headed into a bright sunset. On short final, "a medium sized, reddish brown animal ran across the runway near the numbers from right to left." The student overflew the animal, and the airplane bounced upon touchdown. He applied full power to abort the landing, but the airplane veered left and exited the left side of the runway. About 40 ft from the runway, the airplane encountered soft soil and nosed over. During a conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, the student pilot stated that he may have become fixated on the animal during the approach. He could not recall whether he manipulated the yoke to avoid the animal. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left-wing strut. The student 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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › (general) › Student/instructed pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft surface › Contributed to outcome
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 42 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 15, 2017
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 65.6 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, January 23, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 914 (piston); 66 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LNR Lone Rock WI
- Destination: LNR Lone Rock WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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 GAA17CA420.