Airplane Factory Sport Light accident near Carson City, Nevada, October 25, 2018
On October 25, 2018 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 2014 Airplane Factory Sport Light, registered N288SL, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Carson City, Nevada (Carson airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 25, 2018 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Carson City, Nevada · Carson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airplane Factory Sport Light, built 2014
- Registration
- N288SL · registry record · serial 176
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that, during his second solo flight, while performing a touch and go, the airplane landed "very" hard and bounced twice before he initiated a go-around. During the subsequent base turn, he felt that the rudder pedals were not reacting to his commands, and he "sensed" that the landing gear had been damaged during the landing. Immediately after the nosewheel touched down, the airplane veered right and exited the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount. The student 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
- Hard landing during landing defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing
- Runway excursion during landing
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 › Student/instructed pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 49 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,672 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 IS (piston); 640 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CXP Carson City NV at 5:30 pm
- Destination: CXP Carson City NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 6,101 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 5:35 pm from KCXP, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on February 14, 2019. 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 | Accident Picture | 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.