- Date
- August 20, 2025, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- South Saint Paul, MN
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N383JAElmwood Christavia
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 9, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250820011969A
- Case key
- 200831
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during the landing roll. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to land the airplane on a non-approved landing surface.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that while rolling out on the grass between the runway and taxiway, the airplane began to slowly pitch forward until it nosed over. The pilot attempted to correct with full back pressure on the yoke; however, the airplane did not respond to the control input. The pilot reported that he touched the brakes during the roll out. The airplane came to rest inverted which resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, left wing, and lift struts. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to land the airplane on a non-approved landing surface between the runway and taxiway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N383JA
- Reported as
- Elmwood Christavia (MK4)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- JA 001
- Built
- 2019
- Airframe hours
- 122
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1D6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 25, 2020
- Departed
- Riverfalls, WI
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- SGS · Richard E Fleming Field
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Angle of attack indicator, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 28, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 210 total · 122 in this make and model · 169 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,700 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.16 inHg
- Observed at
- KSGS
- METAR
- KSGS 201635Z AUTO 05005KT 10SM BKN027 BKN032 OVC038 27/19 A3016 RMK AO2 T02660185=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 9, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.