Amateur-built Kolb Twinstar Mark accident near Elkhart, Indiana, September 8, 2010
On September 8, 2010 at about 11:58 pm local time, a amateur-built Kolb Twinstar Mark, registered N408K, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Elkhart, Indiana (Elkhart Municipal Airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during the landing approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2010 · about 11:58 pm local time
- Place
- Elkhart, Indiana · Elkhart Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Kolb Twinstar Mark
- Registration
- N408K · no longer on the register · serial M3X6-4-00083
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident occurred during the amateur-built airplane's first flight. According to the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to determine the stall speed and handling characteristics of the airplane during the flight. After departure, the pilot circled the airport at an altitude of about 3,000 feet, and then requested a return for landing with air traffic control. A video of the accident showed the airplane in a steep descent toward a grassy area between the runway and taxiway. As the airplane neared the ground, the nose of the airplane oscillated pitching up, down, and up again prior to the nose dropping and the airplane impacting the ground. A witness reported the engine sounded normal during the flight and while the airplane was on final approach. A postaccident examination of the airframe did not reveal any failure or malfunction that would have resulted in the loss of control.
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 landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Flight time: 76 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 28 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 0 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, July 24, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EKM Elkhart IN at 11:38 pm
- Destination: EKM Elkhart IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 4,001 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from EKM
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.