Kolb Company TWINSTAR TA-2 accident near Bryan, Texas, October 23, 1998
On October 23, 1998 at about 8:52 pm local time, a Kolb Company TWINSTAR TA-2 (ultralight), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N4281Z, was destroyed in an accident near Bryan, Texas (Coulter Field). 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 loss of control as result of the partial separation of the elevator trim tab resulting in the inability to maintain aircraft control. A factor was the improper design and installation of the elevator trim tab.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 1998 · about 8:52 pm local time
- Place
- Bryan, Texas · Coulter Field
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Kolb Company TWINSTAR TA-2 TWINSTAR T, amateur-built
- Registration
- N4281Z · no longer on the register · serial TA-11
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness observed a shinny piece of metal trailing behind the ultralight. The witness stated that 'the nose of the ultralight bobbed up and down a couple of times' followed by the 'airplane nosing over to the near vertical position.' According to the manufacturer, the ultralight is not equipped with an elevator trim tab. Trim in the standard ultralight is accomplished by adjusting the spring tension on the elevator control cable from inside the fuselage cage near the control stick. The accident ultralight had been modified by the addition of a fabric covered trim tab surface on the trailing edge of the left elevator. The silver painted trim tab measured approximately 5 by 20 inches. Paint transfers, chaffing and rubbing found on the rudder and right elevator indicated that the elevator trim tab had separated from the trailing edge of the left elevator prior to ground impact. The mounting for the outboard bracket, supporting one side of the trim tab, was found loose. Paint transfer and chaffing on the trailing edge of the elevator indicated that the bracket had been loose prior 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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,205 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 1,205 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 118 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 9, 1998; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 690 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CFD at 8:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 1,330 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from CLL, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.