WPR26LA185

NTSB accident investigation · Craig Ellison Bearhawk Four · Sandpoint, ID · May 13, 2026

Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedPreliminary report
Date
May 12, 2026, 19:40 local (May 13, 2026, 02:40 UTC)
Place
Sandpoint, ID
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N953CNCraig Ellison Bearhawk Four
Defining event
Landing-landing roll: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Dusk
Status
Investigation ongoing
Investigation class
Class 3
NTSB office
Western Pacific Region
Parties
FAA
FAA report
20260512005569A
Case key
202984

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Preliminary report

What NTSB knew early in the investigation. It may change in the final report.

On May 12, 2026, about 1940 Pacific daylight time (PDT), an experimental amateur-built Bearhawk Four airplane, N953CN, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Olmstead Sky Ranch in Sandpoint, Idaho. The pilot was uninjured, and the passenger sustained a minor injury. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot and a pilot-rated passenger were landing at the conclusion of the second test flight of the tailwheel-equipped airplane. The pilot reported that after the airplane touched down he noticed the right brake seemed to drag, and the airplane deviated progressively harder to the right. The pilot applied rudder and left brake inputs to compensate. As the airplane slowed, it nosed over and came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage to the rudder, wings, and wing strut. The right brake remained locked after the airplane came to rest, and during the recovery of the airplane from the runway. The airplane was retained for further examination.

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.

Aircraft

Registration
N953CN
Reported as
Craig Ellison Bearhawk Four
Category
Airplane, amateur-built
Serial number
443-87/88
Built
2026
Airframe hours
1
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Utility; Special, Experimental (Special)
Last inspection
Condition · April 21, 2026 · 1 hours before
Destination
Same as departure
Airport
ID25 · Olmstead Sky Ranch, runway 16/34, 3,000 × 50 ft, grass/turf
Equipment
Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction 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.

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Dusk
Wind
60° at 7 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
72 °F, dew point 36 °F
Altimeter
29.84 inHg
Observed at
KSZT, 3 nm away
METAR
METAR KSZT 130235Z AUTO 06007KT 10SM CLR 22/02 A2984 RMK AO2

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.