Airborne Windsports PTY LTD EDGE X CLASSIC accident near Rush City, Minnesota, May 5, 2016
On May 5, 2016 at about 3:25 pm local time, a 2007 Airborne Windsports PTY LTD EDGE X CLASSIC (weight-shift aircraft), registered N701FP, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Rush City, Minnesota (Rush City Regional airport). It was a personal flight 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 student pilot's failure to maintain the appropriate pitch attitude during initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot’s decision to conduct a solo flight without a solo endorsement in an aircraft in which he had no experience flying.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2016 · about 3:25 pm local time
- Place
- Rush City, Minnesota · Rush City Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airborne Windsports PTY LTD EDGE X CLASSIC NO SERIES, built 2007
- Registration
- N701FP · no longer on the register · serial X-582-1088
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was conducting a solo personal flight in the weight-shift-control aircraft. Video footage showed the airplane taking off, climbing to an estimated altitude of 300 to 400 ft, banking sharply left, descending, and then impacting terrain in a steep, nose-down attitude. The student did not have any solo endorsements on his student pilot certificate. The student had logged 14 hours in a different weight-shift-control aircraft but had never flown the accident aircraft type. The student's flight instructor said that he did not feel the student was ready to fly solo and that he had not endorsed him for solo flight. He further stated that the student mismanaged takeoffs and landings and had the tendency to "leave the [control] bar out" after takeoff instead of letting it come back, which increased the aircraft's pitch attitude and caused it to climb too steeply. It is likely that the student increased the aircraft's pitch attitude too much during the initial climb, which led to his loss of aircraft control and an aerodynamic stall.
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 initial climb 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
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Incorrect use/operation
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Qualification/certification › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience w/ equipment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 22 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 327 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, November 29, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582UL DCDI (piston); 328 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KROS Rush City MN at 3:25 pm
- Destination: KROS Rush City MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 4,397 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 3:37 pm from KROS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on October 13, 2016. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FAA E-mails | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Telephone Conversation with Neil Bungard, Jay Jahnz's Flight Instructor | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Pilot's Logbook | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Toxicology Report, Jay K. Janz | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Cami Toxicology Drug Information | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Report Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.