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Atlas / NTSB / WPR22LA070

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR22LA070

2021-12-31 Mojave, California, United States Airport · MHV Minor 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during an encounter with a wind gust during taxi.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, while taxiing to the runway for takeoff, the airplane encountered a gust of wind which lifted the airplane. The airplane subsequently nosed over on the taxiway. Both wings and the vertical stabilizer were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airport's automated surface observation system reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 250° at 27 knots, gusting to 32 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).

  • Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Ability to respond/compensate

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_WPR22LA070.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.