- Date
- July 22, 2008, 11:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Byron, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N92287Antares - Balaban MA33
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 28, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20080722841809A
- Case key
- 68540
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 an adequate airspeed, which resulted in a stall/mush.
Findings · 1
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 was landing the two-seat amateur-built experimental light sport aircraft at his planned destination when the accident occurred. The pilot stated about 10-feet above ground level (agl) "...we suddenly dropped through the air and the aircraft hit the ground hard." The aircraft's nose gear fork separated and the aircraft veered off the runway and nosed over. The aircraft sustained structural damage to the left wing. No mechanical anomalies or malfunctions with the aircraft were reported.
Factual narrative
The pilot was landing the two-seat amateur-built experimental light sport aircraft at his planned destination when the accident occurred. The pilot stated about 10-feet above ground level (agl) "...we suddenly dropped through the air and the aircraft hit the ground hard." The aircraft's nose gear fork separated and the aircraft veered off the runway and nosed over. The aircraft sustained structural damage to the left wing. No mechanical anomalies or malfunctions with the aircraft were reported.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N92287
- Reported as
- Antares - Balaban MA33
- Category
- Weight-shift
- Serial number
- not give
- Engine
- Rotax 582, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Miodrag Balaban
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special); Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- 12CA · Lodi, CA
- Destination
- C83 · Byron, CA
- Airport
- C83 · Byron, runway 23, 3,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Flight hours
- 75 total · 73 in this make and model · 74 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N92287 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.