Jabiru USA Sport Aircraft LLC J170-SP accident near Goshen, Indiana, September 29, 2012
On September 29, 2012 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Jabiru USA Sport Aircraft LLC J170-SP, registered N582J, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Goshen, Indiana (Goshen Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's loss of directional control during takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 2012 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Goshen, Indiana · Goshen Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Jabiru USA Sport Aircraft LLC J170-SP · all J170-SPs on the register
- Registration
- N582J · no longer on the register · serial 89
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that he was practicing a soft-field takeoff, and as soon as the nose wheel lifted off the runway, the airplane veered to the left. The student pilot tried to correct the left turn by applying right rudder and aileron but was unsuccessful. The airplane departed the runway surface and came to rest, nose down on a parallel taxiway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine nose wheel area, both wings, and the fuselage. The student pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 49 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 10 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,114 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 16, 2012
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru 2200 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Jabiru Horizons LLC
The flight
- Departed from: KGSH Goshen IN
- Destination: KGSH Goshen IN
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 27, 6,050 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KGSH
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.