Amateur-built V STAR SA900 accident near Erwinna, Pennsylvania, November 3, 2017
On November 3, 2017 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 1980 amateur-built V STAR SA900, registered N21EM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Erwinna, Pennsylvania (Vansant airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 3, 2017 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Erwinna, Pennsylvania · Vansant · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built V STAR SA900 NO SERIES, built 1980
- Registration
- N21EM · registry record · serial 109
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The sport pilot was practicing takeoffs and landings in the tailwheel-equipped airplane. A witness reported that he saw the airplane depart and then return about 30 minutes later. During the landing, the airplane "cartwheeled," which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that he did could not remember the landing. The pilot added that a postaccident check of the flight controls revealed that they were functioning normally. Therefore, it is likely that the pilot lost airplane control during landing.
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 landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 700 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 670 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 31, 2017
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,584 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 19, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9N1 Erwinna PA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: 9N1 Erwinna PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,058 ft by 120 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from KDYL, 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
5 documents, released by the NTSB on February 27, 2019. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statements | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Maintenance Records | 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.
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.