Evektor Aerotechnik SPORTSTAR accident near Ocala, Florida, July 1, 2020
On July 1, 2020 at about 2:30 pm local time, a 2007 Evektor Aerotechnik SPORTSTAR, registered N820NG, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Ocala, Florida (Leeward Air Ranch airport). 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 pilot’s impairment or distraction due to an acute stroke, which resulted in an unstabilized approach and subsequent loss of airplane control during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 1, 2020 · about 2:30 pm local time · cases in 2020
- Place
- Ocala, Florida · Leeward Air Ranch · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Evektor Aerotechnik SPORTSTAR No Series, built 2007
- Registration
- N820NG · no longer on the register · serial 20070818
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 78-year-old pilot was landing following a cross-country flight. Witnesses’ accounts indicated that the final approach was unstabilized, the pilot did not attempt a go-around, and the airplane bounced after landing long down the runway. The pilot subsequently lost airplane control and the airplane came to rest inverted in a grassy area about 2,500 ft down and 200 ft east of the runway. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal evidence of a preaccident malfunction or anomaly. The pilot held no Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate, nor was she required to. Autopsy findings showed an acute stroke in her left basal ganglia, as well as an enlarged heart and hypertensive kidney disease. Personal medical records showed the pilot was being treated for hypertension, a major risk factor for stroke, with four medications needed to control her blood pressure. Symptoms of a basal ganglia stroke can include a sudden severe headache, one-sided numbness and weakness, double vision, and loss of coordination; symptoms typically occur over minutes to hours. While it is unknown what symptoms the pilot may have experienced, given the operational aspects of this accident, impairment or distraction would be likely from an acutely evolving stroke. Thus, the pilot’s stroke likely contributed to this accident. Postmortem toxicology testing did not detect any sedating or impairing medications in the pilot’s cavity blood or liver tissue.
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 on ground during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing (landing roll)
- Medical event during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Cardiovascular › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 302 hours in all; 277 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 441 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 17, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 1,268 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 ULS (piston); 441 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X60 Williston FL at 1:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 6,247 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 2:51 pm from OCF, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 7 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Main Wreckage (FAA Photos)
Photo 2 - Main Wreckage (FAA Photos)
Photo 3 - Main Wreckage (FAA Photos)
Photo 4 - Main Wreckage (FAA Photos)
Photo 5 – Cockpit (FAA Photo)
Photo 6 – Main Wreckage After Recovery (NTSB Photo)
Photo 7 – Empennage After Recovery (NTSB Photo)The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
11 documents, released by the NTSB on May 26, 2022. 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 | Witness Statement 1 | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statement 2 | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Marion County Fl Sheriff's Office Incident Report Excerpts | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Pilot's Signed Insurance Application | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | NTSB Memorandum for Record - Maintenance Logbook Entries | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Photo Array | PDF, 7 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 7 | Wreckage Diagram | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 8 | Wreckage Position | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 9 | NTSB Examination Summary | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 10 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 11 | NTSB Medical Factual Report | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N820NG: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Engine: Rotax 912 ULS 62 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Leeward Air Ranch Airport · nearest airport
- Williston Regional · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 987 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,702 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA20LA234.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.