Ultralite Sro Stingsport accident near Clermont, Florida, November 17, 2018
On November 17, 2018 at about 4:20 pm local time, a 2006 Ultralite Sro Stingsport, registered N494N, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Clermont, Florida. 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
An inflight failure of the airplane’s horizontal stabilizer.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 2018 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Clermont, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ultralite Sro Stingsport, built 2006
- Registration
- N494N · no longer on the register · serial TLUSA150
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was in cruise flight when he received an automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast traffic alert of traffic approaching from his one o'clock position and closing at "a high rate of speed." The pilot went on to describe control inputs and airplane attitudes during his response to the perceived threat, which ultimately resulted in a loss of control and aerodynamic spin. During the pilot’s attempted recovery from the spin, the nose of the airplane pitched forward uncontrolled and the airplane entered a high-speed, nose-down descent. It is likely that during these remedial actions to regain control, the structure surrounding the horizontal stabilizer failed, and the stabilizer separated from the airplane. The pilot then successfully deployed the airplane’s ballistic parachute system, and it landed in a pasture. Examination of the failed structure surrounding the horizontal stabilizer revealed areas of delamination with dry glass fibers indicative of improper material layup with inadequate resin application. It could not be determined to what extent the inflight separation of the horizontal stabilizer was due to this defect, or whether the pilot’s control inputs during the response to the traffic warning, departure from controlled flight, and subsequent attempted recovery attempt imparted forces onto the horizontal stabilizer that were beyond its nominal structural capability.
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 maneuvering
- Aircraft structural failure during maneuvering defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during maneuvering
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Empennage structure › Horizontal stabilizer › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 182.8 hours in all; 67.4 in this make and model; 8.3 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 79 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 27, 2017
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 337.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2017; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 338 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X06 Arcadia FL at 3:30 pm
- Destination: X04 Apopka FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from ISM, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on October 7, 2021. 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, 57 pages | View Download |
| 2 | ADS-B Aircraft Proximity Animation | video | View Download |
| 3 | GPS Device Download Factual Report | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | GPS Tabular Data | data file | Download |
| 5 | Photos | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | 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.
