Vans RV12 accident near Waldport, Oregon, March 30, 2013
On March 30, 2013 at about 6:30 pm local time, a 2010 Vans RV12, registered N572LS, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Waldport, Oregon (Wakonda Beach State 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 improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 2013 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Waldport, Oregon · Wakonda Beach State Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Vans RV12 120083, built 2010
- Registration
- N572LS · registry record · serial 120083
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During landing on a turf runway, the nosewheel landing gear separated. An examination of the runway surface revealed impact marks consistent with a hard landing in an almost-level attitude. A postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Downloaded nonvolatile memory indicated that the airplane's initial touchdown was flat or slightly negative, which resulted in the nose landing gear contacting the runway surface before the main landing gear. The data also indicated that the landing occurred at a high rate of speed and that the pilot did not attempt to flare the airplane during the landing.
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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Part(s) separation from AC during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 400 hours in all; 274 in this make and model
- Last flight review: January 1, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 277 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 7, 2012; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7S9 Lenhardt Airprk OR at 5:45 pm
- Destination: R33 Waldport OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 2,000 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.34 inHg
- Observation at 6:35 pm from ONP, 11 miles away
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.
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.