Event ERA13CA067

Factual narrative

The pilot reported to a state trooper that he was taxiing the light sport airplane on his private property to take off on a local flight. According to the pilot, he added power, and as he taxied the airplane up a hill, it was hit by a gust of wind. The airplane then turned left, traveled down an embankment and struck a tree, resulting in serious injuries to the pilot. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. About the time of the accident, wind velocity was recorded at an airport approximately 10 miles away at 4 knots. A state trooper photograph, taken about ½ hour after the accident, had a large body of water in the background of the crash site with small surface ripples and intermittent calm areas, indicative of winds up to about 6 knots. The pilot said that he was taxiing the light sport airplane on his private property, and when he added power as he taxied up a hill, the airplane was hit by a gust of wind. The airplane then turned left, traveled down an embankment and struck a tree, resulting in serious injuries to the pilot. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. About the time of the accident, wind velocity was recorded at an airport approximately 10 miles away at 4 knots. A photograph of the accident site that was taken about 1/2 hour after the accident showed a large body of water in the background with small surface ripples and intermittent calm areas, indicative of wind speeds up to about 6 knots. 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-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C