N517A

On November 8, 1999, at 1335 central standard time, a Mancini Vans RV-4, N517A, built and piloted by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage, following a loss of control during landing on runway 12 (8,000 feet by 150 feet, dry/concrete), at the North Platte Regional Airport, North Platte, Nebraska. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 and was not on a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight originally departed Santa Fe Municipal Airport, Santa Fe, New Mexico, at 1030.

According to the pilot's written statement, during the landing flare, the wind "weathercocked" the airplane to the right. The pilot stated that he added left rudder and power and as the airplane, "...came straight the wind got under the R [right] wing and lifted it vertical." The pilot reported that the left wing tip contacted the ground and the airplane cartwheeled hitting the nose, then the right wingtip, and finally the tail. The airplane came to rest in an up-right attitude.