Skykits CORP SAVANNAH VGW accident near Helena, Montana, June 7, 2014
On June 7, 2014 at about 3:30 pm local time, a 2011 Skykits CORP SAVANNAH VGW, registered N472WM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Helena, Montana (Silver Creek 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 overload failure of the nosewheel fork retaining bolts during landing, which resulted in a nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 7, 2014 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Helena, Montana · Silver Creek Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Skykits CORP SAVANNAH VGW NO SERIES, built 2011 · all SAVANNAH VGWs on the register
- Registration
- N472WM · no longer on the register · serial 10-02-51-904
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the experimental, light sport aircraft reported that he was conducting touch-and-go landings and takeoffs at his private, turf-covered airstrip. During the seventh landing, the nosewheel folded back, the shaft dug into the ground, and the airplane nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and vertical stabilizer. Two of the four 1/4-inch-diameter bolts holding the nosewheel fork to the shaft were found sheared. The bolts appeared to have sheared under tension, indicating that an overload failure had occurred. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane 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
- Aircraft structural failure during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 275 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 213 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 23, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 1,235 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MT40 Helena MT at 2:00 pm
- Destination: MT40 Helena MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 1,460 ft by 250 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
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.