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WPR12CA068

2011-12-16 · Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport KCYS

N8281D has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (DJI PHANTOM 4 PRO), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind, which resulted in a loss of directional control.

Factual narrative

The pilot stated that he was performing a normal landing to runway 27. During the landing flare, the airplane veered to the right, proceeded off the edge of the runway, down a grass slope, and into the airport boundary chain link fence. Airport weather observations recorded at the time of the accident were winds 230 at 10 knots, and clear sky. The airplane had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight. The pilot stated that he was landing with a 40-degree crosswind. During the flare, about five feet above ground level, the airplane veered to the right. The pilot said that he thought he could control the veer on the ground, but the airplane veered off the runway, down an embankment, and collided with a fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2011_WPR12CA068.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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