Event CEN17LA367

Factual narrative

On September 13, 2017, about 1337 mountain daylight time, a Vans RV-6 experimental airplane, N812SM, registered to the pilot, sustained substantial damage when it impacted the ground following a loss of control during an attempted go-around at Kelly Airpark (CO15), Elbert, Colorado. The pilot and passenger sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight originated from the La Junta Municipal Airport (LHX), La Junta, Colorado, at 1300. The pilot stated that he was 5 miles south of CO15 and called the automated weather observing system (AWOS) via radio. He stated that the AWOS reported wind from 280° at 24 knots with gusts of 32 knots. He called AWOS again while entering the base leg for runway 27 and the reported wind again was from 280° with gusts of 32 knots. Upon turning to final, the pilot felt the strong wind and added power to stay higher than a normal approach. With flaps set to 40°, the pilot decreased power and started to flare. He stated that the wheels hit hard and the airplane bounced, and a gust of wind moved the airplane to the south off the runway. After another bounce, the pilot added power and attempted a go-around. The airplane struck a cistern to the left of the runway, a fence, and came to rest inverted. A witnesses stated that there were strong wind gusts at the time of the accident. The nearest weather reporting facility was located about two miles from the accident site, and at 1329, the wind was reported from 280° at 21 knots with gusts of 25 knots. The private pilot reported that he was conducting a personal, cross-country flight and that, when he was about 5 miles from his destination airport, he checked the AWOS, which reported wind from 280° at 24 knots, gusting to 32 knots. He checked the AWOS again while entering the base leg for runway 27, and the reported wind had not changed. Upon turning to final, the pilot felt strong wind and added power to stay higher than a normal approach. With flaps set to 40°, the pilot decreased power and started to flare the airplane. The wheels hit the runway hard, the airplane bounced, and a wind gust pushed the airplane left off the runway. After the airplane bounced again, the pilot added power and attempted a go-around. Subsequently, the airplane again exited the left side of the runway and struck a cistern and a fence and then came to rest inverted. Based on the evidence, it is likely that the pilot improperly flared the airplane in strong gusting wind conditions, which resulted in the airplane bouncing and the subsequent loss of directional control. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-High wind-Effect on operation - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-(general)-Effect on operation - C