Amateur-built 750 Cruzer accident near New Smyrna, Florida, September 14, 2021
On September 14, 2021 at about 1:40 pm local time, a 2018 amateur-built 750 Cruzer, registered N161AR, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near New Smyrna, Florida (Massey Ranch Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The mechanic’s inadequate inspection of the flight control system, which resulted in a loss of airplane control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 14, 2021 · about 1:40 pm local time
- Place
- New Smyrna, Florida · Massey Ranch Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 750 Cruzer, built 2018
- Registration
- N161AR · registry record · serial C75-10543
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had just purchased the experimental amateur-built airplane and performed a preflight inspection that revealed no anomalies. After departure, the elevator control became momentarily jammed in the nose-down position multiple times, and the pilot elected to return to the departure airport. After two go-around maneuvers due to elevator jamming, the elevator jammed again about 10 ft above the ground during the third landing attempt. The left wing impacted the ground and the airplane veered off the runway and came to rest inverted in a pond. Postaccident examination of the airframe revealed that the elevator bracket was becoming lodged against a nylon stop block installed in the empennage. It is likely that, while in flight, once the elevator was moved far enough in the nose-down position, the airflow around the elevator forced the elevator to contact the nylon block and jam it in the nose-down position. Examination also revealed evidence of long-term control cable contact with the empennage structure and a lack of tension on the elevator and flight control cables. A mechanic completed a condition inspection, which included examination of the flight control cables and structure, the day before the accident. Based on all available information, it is likely that this inspection was inadequate because it failed to identify and correct the flight control anomalies that ultimately resulted in 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
- Flight control sys malf/fail during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Aircraft inspection event during prior to flight
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Elevator control system › Inadequate inspection
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Scheduled/routine inspection › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 90.3 hours in all; 2.7 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 45.8 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 15, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 45 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 13, 2021; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,440 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Viking 130 (piston); 45 hours total
The flight
- Destination: 4TN5 Greenvillle TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 4,360 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 9:47 am from EVB, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on July 26, 2023. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Maintenance Records | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 5 | 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.