Skip to content

CEN23LA134

2023-03-05 · Buena Vista, Colorado, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport KAEJ

Current FAA registration · N118CX

Make / Model
HONDA AIRCRAFT CO LLC HA-420
Year of manufacture
2022 · 1 years old at event
Engine
GE HONDA HF-120
Seats / Engines
8 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
20220420
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A04A33

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s inability to maintain directional control during landing with a gusting left crosswind resulting in the runway excursion.

Factual narrative

The airplane was coming into the airport to land following a cross-country flight. The pilot reported they checked the weather, entered the current conditions in the Garmin Control Unit, and received the results they expected for the RNAV approach to runway 33. The airport manager came on the radios and reported the winds as 280o at 8 knots, gusting to 19 knots. The crew captured the glidepath before the final approach fix and the co-pilot called out speeds to touchdown, the last being 115 kts. The touchdown was normal, but then the airplane experienced a strong yaw to the left from a wind gust. The pilot attempted to steer the airplane back, but the airplane went off the left side of the runway, struck a taxiway sign, and came to a stop with the nose of the airplane facing the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left inboard wing and lower left fuselage. The crew reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the airplane was landing on runway 33 with reported winds 280o at 8 knots with gusts to 24 knots. Following the accident, the company put in place stricter crosswind component limits for its’ fleet of airplanes. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, 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
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_CEN23LA134.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion). All research papers