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CEN12CA409

2012-07-01 · Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport OSH

Current FAA registration · N500L

Make / Model
WILKINSON LORIN L HATZ XB-II
Year of manufacture
1999 · 13 years old at event
Engine
AMA/EXPR UNKNOWN ENG
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19991126
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A63AEA

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's loss of directional control while landing with a crosswind.

Factual narrative

The pilot and two passengers returned to the airport after a short sight-seeing flight. On landing, the airplane had about 5 knots of crosswind. The airplane turned to the left and the pilot tried to correct the turn by adding control inputs. However, the airplane continued to turn left into a ground loop. The airplane came to rest on the side of the runway, with substantial damage to its wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that he had landed the airplane in the past with much stronger crosswinds and felt comfortable with the conditions at the time. During the landing roll with about 5 knots of crosswind, the airplane turned to the left, and the pilot tried to correct the turn by adding control inputs. However, the airplane ground looped to the left and came to rest on the side of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that he had landed the airplane in the past with much stronger crosswinds and felt comfortable with the conditions at the time. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Response/compensation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2012_CEN12CA409.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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