NTSB releases cause for Holt aircraft crash
The National Transportation Safety Board has released the official cause for the Nov. 3 crash of an experimental aircraft at Yellow River Airstrip.
The single-engine aircraft was trying to take off at about 1:30 p.m. when a gust of wind lifted the right wing and spun the aircraft over until the left wing touched the ground. The aircraft landed upside down after it cartwheeled for about 200 feet, according to news reports.
The NTSB determined that the probable cause was the “pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the terrain. A contributing factor was the gusty crosswind.”
Two people were in the aircraft. The passenger was injured and taken by helicopter to a hospital. The NTSB listed the injuries as minor.
The pilot was Dr. Rick Sheldon. The plane was registered to his Destin-based company, RASCORP Emerald Coast Inc.