Rainbow Aircraft PTY LTD COBRA accident near Camden, South Carolina, March 9, 2013
On March 9, 2013 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Rainbow Aircraft PTY LTD COBRA (weight-shift aircraft), registered N78DK, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Camden, South Carolina (Woodward Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during the approach to land.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 9, 2013 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Camden, South Carolina · Woodward Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rainbow Aircraft PTY LTD COBRA
- Registration
- N78DK · no longer on the register · serial C-078
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner of the experimental weight-shift airplane said he confirmed that the wind was calm before taking off for a flight around the traffic pattern. He said the airplane encountered updrafts and downdrafts on the downwind and base legs of the traffic pattern, and he could not control the altitude of the airplane with either control or power inputs. The pilot said that when he was on final approach, about 400 feet above ground level, he "saw the airplane nose going down at a 45-degree angle and then the hit." The airplane’s fuselage was substantially damaged. The wind speed reported at the airport at the time of the accident was 3 knots. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies with his airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 pattern final) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private, sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 999,999 hours in all; 69 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 34 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 26, 2012
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 DCDI (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CDN Camden SC
- Destination: CDN Camden SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 3 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from CDN
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.
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.