Amateur-built IV accident near Gretna, Nebraska, May 4, 2023
On May 4, 2023, a 1993 amateur-built IV, registered N440RS, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Gretna, Nebraska. 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 pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from terrain during a turn immediately after takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 2023
- Place
- Gretna, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built IV, built 1993
- Registration
- N440RS · registry record · serial 1440
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, while taking off from an off-airport site, he turned too early before gaining enough altitude, and the right wing contacted the ground. The pilot lowered the left wing and the airplane’s left tire “contacted the ground sideways.” The wheel sheared off and the left wing contacted the ground which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action sequence › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,900 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 85 in the last 90 days; 1,900 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 5, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 650 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 15, 2023; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912UL (piston); 650 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Gretna NE at 10:00 pm
- Destination: KAHQ Wahoo NE
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from KAHQ, 16 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KAHQ 032155Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 24/M03 A2990 RMK AO2 T02351033
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 29, 2023. 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 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 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.