20260831011779I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Evektor-Aerotechnik SPORTSTAR · Hood River, OR · August 31, 2026

Date: August 31, 2026 · 09:00 local
Place: Hood River, OR
Airport: Ken Jernstedt Airfield
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N612KE
Reported as: Evektor-Aerotechnik Sportstar
Reported engine: ROTAX 912ULS series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Private pilot, sport pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,257 total332 in this make and model72 in the last 90 days

N612KERegistered now · Evektor-Aerotechnik SPORTSTARS/N 20060704 · Built 2006 Airframe modelEvektor-Aerotechnik SPORTSTAR Engine modelRotax 912ULS series4 cycle

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Pilot departed RWY25. About 60’ above the ground the canopy opened causing the plane to nose violently down. Even with full aft elevator & 2 notches of flaps, pilot was unable to arrest the decent. Plane landed hard and hit nose gear and mains, bounced once and was able to remain on the runway. Pilot got out of plane to assess damage, found there was no prop or wing strike, then taxied plane under its own power to north ramp for further inspection.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT DEPARTED RWY25. ABOUT 60’ ABOVE THE GROUND THE CANOPY OPENED CAUSING THE PLANE TO NOSE VIOLENTLY DOWN. EVEN WITH FULL AFT ELEVATOR & 2 NOTCHES OF FLAPS, PILOT WAS UNABLE TO ARREST THE DECENT. PLANE LANDED HARD AND HIT NOSE GEAR AND MAINS, BOUNCED ONCE AND WAS ABLE TO REMAIN ON THE RUNWAY. PILOT GOT OUT OF PLANE TO ASSESS DAMAGE, FOUND THERE WAS NO PROP OR WING STRIKE, THEN TAXIED PLANE UNDER ITS OWN POWER TO NORTH RAMP FOR FURTHER INSPECTION.