Evektor-Aerotechnik A.S. SportStar accident near Erie, Colorado, September 15, 2007
On September 15, 2007 at about 7:43 pm local time, a Evektor-Aerotechnik A.S. SportStar, registered N616EV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Erie, Colorado (Erie Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed during takeoff-initial climb to avoid a stall/spin. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's inadequate preflight planning, his failure to calculate the airplane's weight and balance, the high density altitude, inadequate information for preflight planning provided by the manufacturer, and the insufficient standards for Pilot Operating Handbook information required by the ASTM consensus standards.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 2007 · about 7:43 pm local time
- Place
- Erie, Colorado · Erie Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Evektor-Aerotechnik A.S. SportStar
- Registration
- N616EV · no longer on the register · serial 20060709
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident flight was the student pilot's first instructional flight towards a Light Sport Pilot certificate. He was receiving instruction from a commercial pilot with a flight instructor certificate (CFI). According to multiple witnesses, the airplane entered a spin while turning from the upwind leg to the crosswind leg following a touch-and-go landing. The airplane impacted terrain in a left wing down, nose low attitude. Postaccident examination of the airplane and its systems revealed no mechanical anomalies. The investigation disclosed that the airplane was over the certified gross weight at the time of departure for the accident flight. A review of the Aircraft Operating Instructions provided by the manufacturer, revealed insufficient data to accurately calculate the effects of density altitude on the performance of the airplane for takeoff and landing. The manual also lacked sufficient data to calculate the fuel burn of the airplane for any altitude higher than an international standard altitude of 2,000 feet. This additional information is not specified as a requirement by the current ASTM consensus standards. Density altitude at the time of the accident was calculated to be 7,800 feet. As no mechanical reason was discovered for the loss of control, it is likely the CFI allowed the airspeed to decay until an inadvertent stall occurred, and he was unable to recover prior to impact.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 418 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 77 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days; 321 as pilot in command; 57 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Flight time: 1 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 607 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2007; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,213 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EIK Erie CO at 6:37 pm
- Destination: EIK Erie CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 4,700 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 pm from BJC, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.