# NTSB WPR25LA154: Lee JA30 Superstol, N128EL, Evanston, WY, May 9, 2025

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Preliminary report
- Date: May 9, 2025, 10:20 local (16:20 UTC)
- Place: Evanston, WY
- Coordinates: 41.274978, -111.03403 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.2750&lon=-111.0340&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Initial climb: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341)
- Highest injury: No injuries
- Injuries: 2 uninjured
- Status: Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class: Class 3
- NTSB office: Western Pacific Region
- Parties: FAA-FSDO
- NTSB case key (mKey): 200143
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR25LA154
- NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/200143/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR25LA154

## Preliminary report

On May 9, 2025, about 1020 mountain daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Just Aircraft Superstol, N128EL, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Evanston, Wyoming. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that shortly after departing runway 23 at the Evanston-Uinta County Burns Field (EVW), Evanston, Wyoming, and while in the crosswind leg of the traffic pattern about 250 ft above ground level, a puff of smoke came out from the top of the engine cowling followed by a total loss of engine power. The pilot advanced the throttle, pitched the nose down, and turned the airplane left towards runway 5. Subsequently, the pilot realized he was not going to make it to the runway and initiated a forced landing on a taxiway. The airplane landed hard and short of the taxiway on a hillside and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The airplane was recovered to a secure location for further examination.

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Initial climb: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [Lee JA30 SUPERSTOL, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=05633Z3), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N128EL](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N128EL), registered now, S/N JA386-06-14, built 2014 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: LEE AVIATION LLC JA30 SUPERSTOL
- Registry model: [Lee JA30 SUPERSTOL](https://openairdocs.org/model/lee-ja30-superstol) (registry code 05633Z3) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Rotax 912ULS series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-912uls-series) (registry code 55572, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number: JA386-06-14
- Year built: 2014
- Airframe hours: 494
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Personal, Part 91
- Operator: Nicholas Berry
- Registered owner: High Ridge Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection: Condition, January 27, 2025
- Airport: EVW, Evanston-Uinta County Burns Fld, runway 23, 7,300 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment: ADS-B, Auto-pilot

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: 20° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: none
- Temperature: 63 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter: 30.47 inHg
- Icing: Unknown
- Turbulence: Unknown
- Observed at: KEVW
- METAR: KEVW 091653Z AUTO 02009KT 10SM CLR 17/M01 A3047 RMK AO2 SLP244 T01671006

## FAA reports on this event (1)

The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs).

- [Accident 20250509006269A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250509006269A), May 9, 2025: Lee Aviation LLC JA30 SUPERSTOL, Evanston, WY, Substantial damage. Smoke came out of the cowl after takeoff and engine lost power

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.

---
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.