Ryan NAVION B accident near Fort Myers, Florida, August 16, 2010
On August 16, 2010 at about 1:00 am local time, a Ryan NAVION B, registered N5382K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Myers, Florida (Page Field Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The binding of the trim wheel on the instrument panel and the pilot’s improper decision to depart with a known mechanical deficiency.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made September 29, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 2010 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Fort Myers, Florida · Page Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ryan NAVION B · all NAVION Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5382K · registry record · serial NAV-4-2282B
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, during a previous flight he discovered that the elevator trim adjustment wheel was binding when it set to the full airplane nose-up position. He planned to have the airplane inspected by a mechanic at the conclusion of that flight, but upon arriving at the destination, all of the facilities were closed for the evening. He subsequently departed for the return flight after picking up passengers, and as he began to trim the airplane for the landing flare, the airplane pitched up uncontrollably. As the pilot attempted to recover the airplane, the left wing struck the ground, resulting in substantial damage. An examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the trim wheel was binding on the instrument panel when the trim was set to a nose-up position. When the trim wheel was removed from the trim system, the remainder of the mechanism was free to move in both the up and down directions.
The NTSB's narratives can run to many pages; this is the opening. Read the full report at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database and is rewritten in plain English only where the NTSB used codes; the probable cause and narrative are the NTSB's own words. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA10CA425.