- Date
- June 15, 2026, 11:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Summer Lake, OR · Summer lake, dry lakebed
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N399RSStoddard Hamilton Glastar
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 17, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20260615006789A
- Case key
- 203183
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 selection of an unsuitable landing area, which resulted in the airplane nosing over during the landing roll.
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 was conducting an off airport landing on a dry lakebed. During the landing roll, the main landing gear wheels sank into soft soil/sand, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder, left wing, and left-wing strut. The pilot reported that he had conducted multiple touch-and-go landings on parts of the lakebed prior and that the surface was softer than he anticipated during the accident landing. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N399RS
- Reported as
- Stoddard Hamilton Glastar
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 5477
- Built
- 1999
- Airframe hours
- 1,310
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-EXP, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · April 9, 2026
- Departed
- Summer Lake, OR
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- Dry lakebed at Summer Lake.
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Angle of attack indicator
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
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 16, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 14,046 total · 300 in this make and model · 118.9 in the last 90 days · 29.1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.26 inHg
- Observed at
- KLKV, 48 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KLKV 151753Z AUTO 11005KT 8SM CLR 27/04 A3026 RMK AO2 SLP205 T02670039 10267 20111 50002
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 17, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 10.9 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.