Amateur-built Trike accident near Nicholasville, Kentucky, August 27, 2017
On August 27, 2017 at about 5:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Trike (weight-shift aircraft), registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Nicholasville, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The noncertificated pilot's failure to maintain control of the weight-shift-control aircraft during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 2017 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Nicholasville, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Trike
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial unkn
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The noncertificated pilot was performing his first flight in the unregistered amateur-built weight-shift control light sport aircraft, which he purchased several months before the accident. During the takeoff, about 20 ft above the ground, the aircraft veered left and impacted a dumpster. It could not be determined whether the pilot obtained any instruction in the operation of the aircraft before the flight. Postmortem examination and toxicology testing detected the non-impairing metabolite of marijuana, THC-COOH, in blood, but the impairing compound, tetrahydrocannabinol, was not detected. It is likely that the pilot used marijuana at some time before the accident; however, it is unlikely that the effects of marijuana were impairing or contributed to the accident.
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 takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Qualification/certification › Pilot
Pilot
- Flight time: 40 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 447 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Nicholasville KY at 5:30 pm
- Destination: Nicholasville KY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from KLEX, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on June 5, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memorandum for Record - FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.