Jabat, Inc. Avid Flyer accident near Cleveland, Missouri, November 6, 2004
On November 6, 2004 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Jabat, Inc. Avid Flyer, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N90JW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cleveland, Missouri. 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 separation of the wing skin from the wing structure and the pilot's subsequent inablility to maintain aircraft control. A factor associated with the accident was the tree that the airplane contacted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 6, 2004 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Cleveland, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Jabat, Inc. Avid Flyer, amateur-built
- Registration
- N90JW · registry record · serial 110
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The homebuilt airplane collided with trees while making an off airport forced landing. The pilot reported that a malfunction occurred on the right wing while he was flying at 1,000 feet above mean sea level. He stated the airplane entered a right descending spiral. The airplane descended into a field about 2 miles away from his departure airstrip. The pilot stated the airplane contacted the ground then slid into trees, damaging the right wing. A post accident examination of the airplane revealed the fabric on the right wing had separated from the ribs. No other failures/malfunctions with the wing were noted. The pilot reported the fabric is glued to 1-inch rib caps in the wings. He also reported that it appeared as if the fabric had pulled away from the caps. The airplane was constructed in 1985 and it had been flown about 300 hours prior to the accident. The pilot reported the last annual inspection of the airplane was in April, 2004, and the airplane had been flown 4 hours since that inspection.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 698 hours in all; 310 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 523 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 532 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Cleveland MO at 5:05 pm
- Destination: PVT Cleveland MO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 10:43 am from OJC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.