Amateur-built MiniMax accident near Gap, Pennsylvania, March 21, 2012
On March 21, 2012 at about 9:00 pm local time, a amateur-built MiniMax (ultralight), registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Gap, Pennsylvania. It was a personal 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 airspeed during a go-around, resulting in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 21, 2012 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Gap, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MiniMax NO SERIES
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial Unk
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that, while approaching a friend’s farm field for landing, he elected to perform a go-around. As he increased pitch to climb, the airplane entered a stall about 200 feet above ground level. He lowered the nose to increase airspeed; however, there was insufficient altitude to recover, and the airplane crashed into a field. The fuselage’s wooden structure fractured in several places, resulting in substantial airframe damage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. He cited his indecisiveness as a factor.
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 in flight during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 40 hours in all; 30 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 120 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2012; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 560 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 447 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Ephrata PA at 8:25 pm
- Destination: Ephrata PA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from LNS, 10 miles away
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 UNREG 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.