Amateur-built VANS RV7A accident near Sheridan, Wyoming, July 29, 2011
On July 29, 2011 at about 4:10 pm local time, a amateur-built VANS RV7A, registered N742RJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Sheridan, Wyoming (Sheridan airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 aircraft control during takeoff due to cockpit distractions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 2011 · about 4:10 pm local time
- Place
- Sheridan, Wyoming · Sheridan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VANS RV7A
- Registration
- N742RJ · no longer on the register · serial 71582
- 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 when the airplane lifted off he became distracted by his headset's noise canceling control and suddenly the nose wheel of the airplane hit the ground hard. The pilot immediately pulled back on the controls and initiated a climb to assess the damage. After 15 minutes of flight, the emergency crew on the ground assessed that the nose gear was bent and the pilot prepared for an emergency landing. The pilot opted to land on the grass and as he set the airplane down on the surface the front gear leg collapsed and the airplane tilted up on its propeller before falling back down onto its main gear and substantially damaging the rudder. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine 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 in flight during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,756 hours in all; 436 in this make and model
- Last flight review: April 28, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 474 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 2, 2011; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,030 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ama/Expr Subaru (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KSHR Sheridan WY
- Destination: 3U2 Yellow Pine ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 8,300 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 2:30 pm from KSHR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.