Skip to content

Atlas / NTSB / WPR21LA215

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR21LA215

2021-05-30 Minden, Nevada, United States Airport · MEV Minor 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot receiving instruction’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.

Factual narrative

The pilot receiving instruction reported that, during the first landing roll of the instructional flight, the airplane deviated slightly to the right and away from the runway centerline. The pilot receiving instruction corrected to the left and described the subsequent movement of the airplane as crabbing to the left while tracking down the runway. The flight instructor asserted that the pilot receiving instruction overcorrected with excessive left rudder and brake. The flight instructor told the pilot receiving instruction to get off the brake, and she applied right rudder. The instructor stated that the pilot receiving instruction “froze up” and she could not regain directional control of the airplane. The airplane exited the left side of the runway, nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing lift strut and the empennage. The flight instructor and the pilot receiving instruction both reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot receiving instruction was landing the airplane on runway 34 with variable wind at 5 knots, gusting to 11 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).

  • Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
  • Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot
  • Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Instructor/check pilot
  • Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring other person-Instructor/check pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_WPR21LA215.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.