The pilot reported that, after landing at the airport in Springfield, Illinois, while taxiing in gusting wind conditions, the Zenith CH-701 flipped over and came to rest inverted.
He added that, a few minutes after the airplane was righted, it flipped over again.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage, and fuselage.
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The automated weather observation system at the accident airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was 270° at 27 knots, gusting to 41 knots.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s improper crosswind correction during taxi operations in gusting crosswind conditions.
This February 2019 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
well the plane fliped when righted . so just stopped So I don’t think It was the piolets fault but i will add the plane should not have been out of the hanger. Adding even a kite would have been hard to fly.
Yes you only fly kites in wind conditions as such.
Like Howard replyed leave it in the hanger.
And the 701 has no aluminum
Back before ww2, wing walkers would hold the struts and walk many planes to/from hanger or runway.
I was based at Mojave for 10 years. On one occasion, I had to get wing walkers to help me put my C172 away. The winds there can be a LOT more than 50 kts. Fortunately, they’re almost always out of the SW and runway 22 works until you need to taxi.
Yes with that amount of wind just push it outside of the hangar and it will fly by itself.The only pilot error was taking out of the hangar.
Perhaps that is the the improper crosswind correction they were referring to, albeit rather obliquely.
I have to disagree that this was pilot error. With those wind conditions the plane and pilot did exactly as expected. 27 to 41 knot wind on a light sport plane is almost always going to end up with some wrinkled aluminum
Right, so maybe call it the pilot’s improper decision to taxi a light sport plane in unsafe conditions?
That works for me.