Evektor-Aerotechnik Sportstar Plus accident near Erie, Colorado, November 15, 2007
On November 15, 2007 at about 6:25 pm local time, a Evektor-Aerotechnik Sportstar Plus, registered N617EV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Erie, Colorado (Erie Municipal Airport). 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 student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing. Contributing factors were the delayed remedial action and inadequate supervision by the flight instructor, and the ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 15, 2007 · about 6:25 pm local time
- Place
- Erie, Colorado · Erie Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Evektor-Aerotechnik Sportstar Plus
- Registration
- N617EV · no longer on the register · serial 2007 1001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the final approach for a full stop landing, the airplane was configured to an airspeed of 60 knots and a flap setting of 15 degrees. The instructor reported, "The airplane was flared and touched down on the main wheels then the nose wheel was lowered at approximately A2 taxiway slightly right of centerline. I instructed the student that we would continue to roll-out and decelerate to the end of the runway to avoid using too much brake or rudder pressure due to their extreme sensitivity. I then instructed the student to apply light rudder pressure to realign the aircraft with the runway centerline. Ample left rudder pressure was applied and countered with opposite right rudder pressure resulting in pilot induced oscillations. The aircraft swerved dramatically from left to right and then again to the left and right where it exited the runway surface. The plane came to a stop in a drainage ditch on the right side of runway 33 and slightly north of the closed runway." During the traffic pattern and landing, the flight instructor and student were both on the airplane controls. The winds were reported as calm during the accident. The flight training supplement for the accident airplane instructs pilots not to apply main wheel brakes unintentionally when taxiing. The flight training supplement also states that aircraft steering at higher speeds is more sensitive, therefore smaller deflections of the rudder control pedals are required to maintain directional control. Examination of the airplane revealed the nose gear was bent aft and the firewall was buckled.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 717 hours in all; 81 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 626 as pilot in command; 350 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 4 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 33 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2007; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,268 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 ULS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EIK at 10:45 am
- Destination: EIK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 4,700 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N617EV 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.