- Date
- July 9, 2026, 11:43 local (15:43 UTC)
- Place
- Green Cove Springs, FL · Airport turf runway
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N21JBStits Playmate
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 1, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20260709009539A
- Case key
- 203366
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 improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 2
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 the purpose of the flight was to perform a traffic pattern circuit and a full stop landing. During the landing, he misjudged his altitude above the runway and the airplane landed hard as he initiated the landing flare. The nose landing gear struck the turf runway, collapsed, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The fuselage and left wing were substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21JB
- Reported as
- Stits Playmate
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 171011242
- Built
- 1999
- Airframe hours
- 212.78
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- JVG3 Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · August 11, 2025
- Airport
- 7FL4 · Haller Airpark, runway 36, 2,600 × 75 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, 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
- 74
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 10, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,172 total · 21 in this make and model · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- SGJ, 18 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KSGJ 091556Z 20006KT 10SM CLR 33/23 A3013 RMK AO2 SLP201 T03280233 $
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 1, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.1 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.