Amateur-built Waiex accident near Kinsey, Kansas, July 20, 2018
On July 20, 2018 at about 8:30 pm local time, a 2008 amateur-built Waiex, registered N49YX, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Kinsey, Kansas (Kinsley Muni 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 directional control during the landing roll in gusting crosswind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 20, 2018 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Kinsey, Kansas · Kinsley Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Waiex, built 2008
- Registration
- N49YX · registry record · serial W0049
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, the tailwheel-equipped airplane encountered a strong crosswind gust from the left during the landing roll. The airplane turned left into the wind and then exited the left side of the runway. The airplane collided with cornstalks and came to rest in a drainage culvert. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. An automated weather observation station located about 23 miles from accident site reported, about 26 minutes before the accident, wind from 100° at 16 knots, gusting to 20 knots. The airplane landed on runway 18.
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
- Runway excursion during landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
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 › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 459 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 307 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 26, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 219 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 1, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Viking Aircraft Engines HF-110 (piston); 25 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 33K Kinsey KS at 7:00 pm
- Destination: 33K Kinsey KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,290 ft by 56 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 16 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from KLQR, 23 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 March 22, 2019. 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 | 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.