Amateur-built AIRBORNE EDGE X accident near Palmer, Alaska, August 2, 2014
On August 2, 2014 at about 9:10 pm local time, a amateur-built AIRBORNE EDGE X, registered N821AK, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Palmer, Alaska (Butte Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The non-certificated pilot's failure to maintain directional control while performing a high speed taxi test and inadvertent lift-off, which resulted in an inflight collision with trees and terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 2014 · about 9:10 pm local time
- Place
- Palmer, Alaska · Butte Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AIRBORNE EDGE X Classic X
- Registration
- N821AK · registry record · serial 582-796
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-certificated pilot was performing a high speed taxi test at a privately-owned, dirt and gravel-covered airport, in his tricycle-gear equipped weight-shift-control airplane. He reported that after arriving at the airport, he assembled the airplane, and then did a thorough preflight, which included checking wind conditions aloft by releasing helium balloons. He stated that the airplane had recently undergone an extensive rebuild, and he intended to do series postmaintenance taxi tests before flying the airplane. During the first high speed taxi test, as the airplane reached a takeoff speed, the pilot pushed the control bar forward, and the airplane became airborne. In an attempt to land the airplane and gain additional airspeed, the pilot pulled back on the control bar, but the airplane began to roll to the left. The pilot then applied full right control bar input, but the airplane continued to the left, and it subsequently collided with a stand of trees, sustaining substantial damage to the wings. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Flight time: 17 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 206 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 206 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AK1 Palmer AK
- Destination: AK1 Palmer AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 07, 1,806 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.