Amateur-built CORBEIL SHAWN SER VI accident near Rogersburg, Oregon, December 12, 2017
On December 12, 2017 at about 9:30 pm local time, a 2002 amateur-built CORBEIL SHAWN SER VI, registered N552EZ, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Rogersburg, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper landing flare and his subsequent failure to see and avoid a tree during a go-around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 12, 2017 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Rogersburg, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CORBEIL SHAWN SER VI NO SERIES, built 2002
- Registration
- N552EZ · no longer on the register · serial 60010-040
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, while landing on an unimproved airstrip, the approach was normal, but after "a longer than expected float and brief touchdown," he aborted the landing and began a go-around. Once airborne, he made a shallow left turn to avoid a cliff that was off the right side of the unimproved airstrip. Subsequently, the left wing struck a tree, and the airplane then cartwheeled and impacted the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR go-around)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 763 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 714 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 20, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 324 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 9, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,550 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912S (piston); 324 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYL Mc Call ID at 6:45 pm
- Destination: Rogersburg OR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.42 inHg
- Observation at 10:35 pm from KGIC, 29 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on February 13, 2018. 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 |
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.