Winterville, NC, USA
N374WZ
NORTH WING UUM INC SPORT X2
The pilot reported that he made a normal approach to the runway with a light headwind in his experimental light sport, weight-shift trike. During the landing flare, with the trike about 5 to 10 feet above the ground, it encountered a gust of wind. The pilot was unable to straighten the trike and it impacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The wind was reported as calm at an airport 8 miles to the north at the time of the accident.
The pilot reported that he made a normal approach to the runway with a "light head wind" in his experimental light sport, weight-shift trike. During the landing flare, when the trike was about 5 to 10 feet off the ground, "an unexpected gust or ground turbulence threw [the trike] sharp right off the runway." The pilot was unable to straighten the trike, which then impacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported no preexisting mechanical anomalies with the trike. The winds were reported as calm at an airport 8 miles to the north at the time of the accident.
The pilot's loss of directional control while landing during an encounter with a wind gust.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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