Amateur-built Starduster Too SA300 accident near Galion, Ohio, August 7, 2012
On August 7, 2012 at about 11:45 pm local time, a amateur-built Starduster Too SA300, registered N111LC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Galion, Ohio (Galion Municipal 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control and a proper pitch attitude and airspeed while performing an aborted landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2012 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Galion, Ohio · Galion Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Starduster Too SA300
- Registration
- N111LC · registry record · serial WJC1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot lost directional control during the landing roll and attempted to abort the landing. However, the airplane would not climb and was flying slower than the pilot thought it should be flying, and the airplane was headed toward the airport hangars south of the runway. The pilot reduced the airplane pitch attitude in order to increase airspeed and turned left to avoid the hangars. The airplane stalled as the pilot attempted to climb the airplane over a power line that was along the flight path. During the aborted landing, the pilot did not fly over the remaining runway, which would have provided obstruction clearance to a safe altitude. Also, flight at slow or near stall speed provides a high drag condition, which results in reduced climb performance.
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 on ground during landing defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (aborted after touchdown)
- Miscellaneous/other during takeoff
- Miscellaneous/other during initial climb
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 110 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 53 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 25, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 281 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 14, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Galion OH at 10:40 pm
- Destination: Galion OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,504 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 11:52 pm from MFD, 10 miles away
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN12LA538.