Amateur-built GLASAIR III accident near Kanab, Utah, September 3, 2011
On September 3, 2011 at about 7:00 pm local time, a amateur-built GLASAIR III, registered N17S, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Kanab, Utah (Kanab Municipal 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, as a result of a flat left main landing gear tire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 2011 · about 7:00 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Kanab, Utah · Kanab Municipal Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built GLASAIR III
- Registration
- N17S · registry record · serial 3246
- 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, when the airplane touched down on the runway, he felt a vibration followed by the airplane pulling to the left. The pilot added right brake in attempt to realign the airplane; however, it continued to the left and exited the left side of the runway. The airplane traversed over the gravel adjacent to the runway and into brush, where it came to rest. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the airplane’s left main landing gear tire was flat. No other anomalies were noted that would have precluded normal flight.
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) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Tube › Failure other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,222 hours in all; 117 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: September 29, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 543 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 3, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 00C Durango CO at 5:30 pm
- Destination: KNB Kanab UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 6,193 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
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 4, 2011. 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 | Record of Conversation - FAA Inspector | 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.
Other NTSB records under N17S the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N17S on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 SER 4,222 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Kanab Municipal · nearest airport
- Animas Air Park Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Utah 1,440 since 1982 · 264 in the last ten years
- Utah 8,356 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N17S 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR11CA433.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.