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Atlas / NTSB / CEN22LA061

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event CEN22LA061

2021-12-01 Midland, Texas, United States Airport · 7TX7 Serious 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N12GX

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

AERO VODOCHODY L-39C

Year of manufacture

1980 · 41 years old at event

Engine

HONEYWELL TFE731-3

Seats / Engines

1 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

20260312

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A05205

Registrant of record

WHR SALES LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s loss of directional control during a high-speed taxi operation and subsequent collision with terrain during the inadvertent flight.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that he and passenger were conducting a high-speed taxi operation with no intention for flight. While on the runway with partial power selected, the pilot was unable to maintain directional control and elected to execute a takeoff to avoid ground obstacles. During the unintended flight, the pilot reported that the airplane did not respond normally to flight control inputs and subsequently impacted terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. Examination of the flight control system revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. 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).

  • Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_CEN22LA061.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.