Eclipse Aviation EA500 incident near Pontiac, Michigan, April 17, 2008
On April 17, 2008 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Eclipse Aviation EA500, registered N539RM, was involved in an incident during enroute (cruise) near Pontiac, Michigan. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadvertent stalling of the rudder trim actuator motor during flight due to the pilot's unintentional exceedence of the motor's design limit for stalling while accelerating after completing a simulated engine-out maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 2008 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pontiac, Michigan · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eclipse Aviation EA500
- Registration
- N539RM · registry record · serial 000101
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor pilot reported that the pilot receiving training had completed a simulated engine failure of the right engine. Upon completion of the maneuver, he attempted to re-trim the rudder trim since it was set at 58 percent left trim. The rudder trim did not respond. The instructor pilot switched to Alternate trim but without success. The pilots followed the checklist items found in the Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) but without success. The manual trim did not correct the condition with the airspeed at about 200 knots. The instructor pilot executed a precautionary landing without incident. The airplane was shut down. When the airplane was restarted, the condition was corrected and the rudder trim operated normally. On April 30, 2008, Eclipse Aviation issued a Customer Pilot Communication (CPC) No. 500-2008-007 titled "Rudder Trim Operation." The CPC stated, "There have been several instances of Eclipse 500 operators reporting an inability to actuate the rudder trim following acceleration from a practice single engine event. It was determined that this is caused by trimming rudder for a slow airspeed and then accelerating without removing trim, significantly increasing the trim tab loading and exceeding the trim motor design stalling point. This is considered normal operation, as it is a feature of the design to prevent excessive rudder loads."
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
- Flight control sys malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Empennage structure › Rudder/tab attach fitting › Unintentional use/operation
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Flight crew
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 20,800 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 190 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 12,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 16, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 52 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 1, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 6,022 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: DET Detroit MI at 10:15 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 24,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from PTK, 23 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.