Nelson CYGNET SF-2A accident near Newberg, Oregon, July 13, 1998
On July 13, 1998 at about 6:49 pm local time, a Nelson CYGNET SF-2A, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N191LM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Newberg, Oregon (Chehalem Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot-in-command's failure to maintain directional control. Factors contributing were the pilot-in-command's lack of experience in make of aircraft (i.e., use of toe brakes) and the fence post.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 1998 · about 6:49 pm local time
- Place
- Newberg, Oregon · Chehalem Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Nelson CYGNET SF-2A CYGNET SF-, amateur-built
- Registration
- N191LM · no longer on the register · serial 191
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following touchdown on the runway center line, the homebuilt tail-wheel equipped Cygnet SF-2A drifted left and the pilot-in-command applied right rudder to correct. The aircraft then veered to the right and, in spite of hard left brake and rudder application, departed the north edge of the runway, impacting a fence post. The accident flight was the pilot-in-command's first solo in the toe-brake equipped aircraft. She did possess approximately 100 hours in the tail-wheel equipped Citabria. This aircraft, however, was equipped with heel-brakes, rather than toe-brakes.
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
- Flight time: 152 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 98 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 209 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 21, 1998; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65-8F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 17S at 6:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 2,275 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from MMV, 8 miles away
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.