Czech Aircraft Works Spol Sro SPORTCRUISER accident near Atlanta, Georgia, February 28, 2016
On February 28, 2016 at about 6:37 pm local time, a 2008 Czech Aircraft Works Spol Sro SPORTCRUISER, registered N187SF, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Atlanta, Georgia (Dekalb-Peachtree airport). 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
A total loss of engine power due to fuel vapor lock. Contributing to the accident was the absence of a fuel return line.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 28, 2016 · about 6:37 pm local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Dekalb-Peachtree · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Czech Aircraft Works Spol Sro SPORTCRUISER A, built 2008 · all SPORTCRUISERs on the register
- Registration
- N187SF · registry record · serial 08SC190
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot said he performed a preflight inspection of the airplane and let the engine warm up to normal operating temperature before he taxied to the runway and performed a normal run-up of the engine. During takeoff, the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to return and land on the reciprocal runway but landed about 300 ft southeast of the runway on grass. The landing gear collapsed during the landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. Engine performance data downloaded from the airplane's onboard electronic display revealed that the fuel flow to the engine was interrupted shortly before the end of the flight. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation, and during a test run of the engine on the airframe, it ran continuously for several minutes without hesitation. Examination of the fuel system revealed that no fuel return line (or fuel restriction line) had been installed, which was not in accordance with the engine manufacturer's installation instructions. The engine installation manual stated that the purpose of the fuel return line was to prevent the formation of fuel vapor lock. It is likely that the absence of the fuel return line resulted in the engine losing power due to fuel vapor lock.
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 engine power (total) during takeoff defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Misc hardware › (general) › Not installed/available
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft surface › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private, sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,117 hours in all; 56 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1,033 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 15, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,935 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 14, 2016; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 69 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PDK Atlanta GA at 6:37 pm
- Destination: PDK Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21R, 3,746 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from PDK, 1 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.
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.