# Accident 20080805843109A: Amtr SPORTSTAR, St Charles, MO, August 5, 2008

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 5, 2008, 15:00 local time
- Place: St Charles, MO
- Airport: St Charles
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.8425° N, 90.5000° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.8425&lon=-90.5000&mi=10
- Aircraft: N411EV, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N411EV-2024-08-03) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Evektor-Aerotechnik SPORTSTAR (registry code 0600012, https://openairdocs.org/model/evektor-aerotechnik-sportstar) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotax SEE BOMBADIER (registry code 55555, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-see-bombadier) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR SPORTSTAR
- Reported engine: ROTAX ROTAX912ULS
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Student
- Pilot flight hours: 40 total, 25 in this make and model, 10 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DFW08LA209](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW08LA209) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080805843109A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS PERFORMING A SOLO OPERATION IN N411EV AS A PORTION OF HIS STUDENT PILOT TRAINING. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DEPARTED RUNWAY 9 AT ST. CHARLES MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (3SQ) AND EXPERIENCED WHAT HE PERCEIVED AS AN INABILITY TO CONTROL THE AIRCRAFT IN ITS PITCH AXIS.  ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REMAINED IN THE PATTERN OF THE AIRPORT AND ATTEMPTED A LANDING AT WHAT HE DESCRIBED AS A HIGHER THAN NORMAL AIRSPEED. UPON LANDING THE FIXED NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED CAUSING THE PROPELLER AND NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT TO STRIKE THE RUNWAY SURFACE. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE RUNWAY TO THE LEFT AND CAME TO REST IN THE GRASS AREA BETWEEN THE TAXIWAY AND RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT PROPELLER, ENGINE, FUSELAGE AND NOSE GEAR WERE SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SAID ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HAD ASKED HIM ON AUGUST 6, 2008 IF IT WAS POSSIBLE THE ELEVATOR TRIM COULD HAVE BEEN SET TO THE NOSE DOWN SETTING. HE STATED "I SUPPOSE IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT I DID NOT SET THE ELEVATOR TRIM TO NEUTRAL", THEN HE SAID " I DID NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT THE TRIM TAB".  WHEN HE EXAMINED, ALL ELEVATOR/TRIM CONTROL SYSTEM FOR THE PITCH AXIS HAD CONTINUITY, CORRECT TRAVELS, AND PITCH TRIM WAS SET AT THE FARTHEST NOSE DOWN POSITION.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DFW08LA209](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW08LA209), Aug 5, 2008: Evektor Aerotechnik Sportstar (N411EV), St Charles, MO, substantial damage. Probable cause: The student pilot's failure to maintain control due to his task saturation as a result of his failure to set the pitch trim to the neutral position before takeoff.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.