LAX98LA177

Factual narrative

On May 30, 1998, at 1100 hours Pacific daylight time, a homebuilt RANS S6EX Coyote II, N6179A, was substantially damaged when it drug a wing and nosed over during landing on runway 14 at Delano, California, airport. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured and there was no property damage. In his accident report, the pilot stated that, as the aircraft was touching down, he encountered a strong wind gust that lifted the right wing and he was unable to correct the upset before the left wing contacted the ground. The surface wind at the time of landing was reported as 140 degrees magnetic at 4 knots with random gusts to 15 knots. The pilot also stated that there was no mechanical problem with the aircraft. During landing, the aircraft encountered a sudden wind gust, the effects of which the pilot failed to control. The results were a wing tip drag, a lateral runway departure, and a subsequent noseover. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12