Airborne Windsports PTY LTD EDGE XT-912-L accident near Granite Shoals, Texas, May 29, 2022
On May 29, 2022 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Airborne Windsports PTY LTD EDGE XT-912-L (weight-shift aircraft), registered N490F, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Granite Shoals, Texas (Granite Shoals/Bob Sylvester A airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain proper airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall while landing with a gusting wind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 2022 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Granite Shoals, Texas · Granite Shoals/Bob Sylvester A · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airborne Windsports PTY LTD EDGE XT-912-L · all EDGE XT-912-Ls on the register
- Registration
- N490F · registry record · serial XT-912-0394
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and passenger were on a local personal flight. Witnesses stated that they saw the weight-shift-control trike flying in the area for about 20-30 minutes before the accident. A witness on the south end of the airport saw the trike flying in the area as it made several passes over the airpark. He did not witness the accident but recalled the wind condition to be “super windy.” Another witness stated that the wind condition was “swift” with gusts at the time of the accident. The trike impacted a tree and the ground near the approach end of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the wing and carriage. The weather observations taken 25 minutes before the accident showed southerly winds at velocities of 4 to 11 knots with increasing velocities and gusts to 21 knots. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Based on this information, it is likely that the accident pilot allowed the airplane to exceed its critical angle of attack while on final approach and the trike entered an aerodynamic stall at too low an altitude to successfully recover. The strong, gusting wind conditions increased the likelihood of a sudden increase in angle of attack as the pilot approached the runway at a slow speed, already operating near the trike’s critical angle of attack.
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 landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Response/compensation
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Flight time: 500 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
Passenger
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 978 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 10, 2021
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912-UL (piston); 978 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 2,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,700 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.78 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 am from KDZB, 4 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KDZB 291255Z AUTO 18006KT 10SM SCT017 23/19 A2978 RMK AO2 T02310193=
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR22FA189.