Amateur-built JUST AIRCRAFT HIGHLA accident near Limestone, Tennessee, July 18, 2013
On July 18, 2013 at about 8:35 pm local time, a amateur-built JUST AIRCRAFT HIGHLA, registered N926JB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Limestone, Tennessee (None airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 2013 · about 8:35 pm local time
- Place
- Limestone, Tennessee · None · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built JUST AIRCRAFT HIGHLA
- Registration
- N926JB · registry record · serial JA256-12-11
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was operating the experimental light-sport airplane from a private grass airstrip, and following a brief local flight, was returning for landing. The approach to the runway was “normal” and the prevailing wind was light and variable. During the landing flare, the airplane “settled hard” and bounced back into the air. The pilot responded by adding power and leveling the pitch attitude, but the airplane settled back onto the runway in a flat attitude. The nose landing gear collapsed on touchdown and the airplane then nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and wings. The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the 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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 877 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 742 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 28, 2012
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 45 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 11, 2013; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Limestone TN at 8:30 pm
- Destination: NONE Limestone TN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,300 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from TRI, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N926JB 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.