Evektor Aerotechnik SportStar Plus accident near Greenwood, Indiana, April 29, 2008
On April 29, 2008 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Evektor Aerotechnik SportStar Plus, registered N930LA, was substantially damaged in an accident during standing (engine(s) operating) near Greenwood, Indiana (Greenwood Municipal airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during engine run-up.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 2008 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Greenwood, Indiana · Greenwood Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Evektor Aerotechnik SportStar Plus
- Registration
- N930LA · no longer on the register · serial 20070930
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was preparing to do the engine run-up of the light-sport airplane by increasing the engine to 4,000 rpms. He reported that his right foot slipped off the brake pedal and his foot partially came out of his shoe. While attempting to reset his foot in his shoe, he released the brake. The airplane turned and went off the paved surface and into a cornfield. The front of the airplane sustained substantial damage when the front wheel/gear struck the field.
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 standing (engine(s) operating) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Flight crew
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 23 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 109 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 1,268 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 ULS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HFY Greenwood IN
- Destination: Greenwood IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N930LA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.