Amateur-built Amphibeous Trike/No accident near Chehalis, Washington, January 25, 2014
On January 25, 2014 at about 11:15 pm local time, a 2008 amateur-built Amphibeous Trike/No (weight-shift aircraft), registered N440LS, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Chehalis, Washington (Chehalis-Centralia 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 failure of the left wing prong.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 25, 2014 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Chehalis, Washington · Chehalis-Centralia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Amphibeous Trike/No, built 2008
- Registration
- N440LS · registry record · serial H20041
- 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, just after liftoff from the runway, the trike began to pull "hard" to the left. The pilot then looked to the left and saw the left wing flapping. He subsequently performed a modified traffic pattern to return to the runway to land. After turning onto the final leg of the traffic pattern, the trike began to oscillate, but the pilot was able to land the trike. As soon as the trike touched down on the runway, the left wing "grabbed," and the trike flipped over and then came to rest on its left side. The pilot reported that the trike lost the left wing prong after takeoff, and a responding police officer found a piece of the left wing prong near the runway departure point. The loss of the wing prong likely led to the left wing flapping after departure and the pilot's subsequent inability to maintain directional control after 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
- Aircraft structural failure during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Wing structure › (general) › Failure
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 1, 2013
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CLS Chehalis WA at 11:12 pm
- Destination: 5S4 Toledo OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,000 ft by 140 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
- Observation at 11:15 pm from CLS
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.
Other NTSB records under N440LS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.