Sabre Trike 330 UNREG
20 May 2003 · Jean, Nevada, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 20 May 2003 at about 00:50 local time, a Sabre Trike 330 registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Jean, Nevada, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 00:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Jean, Nevada, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.7683, -115.3297
- Aircraft
- Sabre Trike 330
- Registration
- UNREG
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Jean → Jean
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX03LA157
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's excessive taxi speed, which resulted in an inadvertent liftoff at an inadequate airspeed and a subsequent stall. A factor was the pilot's lack of experience in the airplane.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot stalled the airplane and impacted the ground during an inadvertent takeoff. The vehicle exceeded the maximum limits to be classified as an ultralight under 14 CFR 103. The owner was selling the airplane to the pilot. The owner demonstrated how it was assembled, and then demonstrated the airplane in flight. The pilot/buyer then put on his helmet and sat in the airplane. Two of his friends, and the owner, advised the pilot not to takeoff, to "just taxi." The pilot said he was not going to fly. While the pilot/buyer was taxiing, the airplane's speed increased. The airplane "went up" about 100 feet and then "[was] going straight to the ground." The airplane began to "come out of it" and the owner turned away. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft impacted the ground. One of the pilot's friends witnessed the accident. He reported the airplane "went up too fast, stalling, losing control, then smashing to the ground."
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jul 2003 | Piper PA-18-150 | Ely, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Jul 2003 | Cessna 150H | Dyer, Nevada, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 2003 | Cessna 182A | Jean, Nevada, United States | Laurent Lobjoit | No injuries | - |
| 23 Apr 2003 | Cessna 340A | Boulder City, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Aug 2003 | Beechcraft C35 | Gerlach, Nevada, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 Aug 2003 | Beechcraft K35 | Gerlach, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |