Amateur-built RTH JUNGSTER 1 accident near Lebanon, Indiana, April 15, 2019
On April 15, 2019 at about 7:50 pm local time, a 1972 amateur-built RTH JUNGSTER 1, registered N3243, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Lebanon, Indiana (Boone County airport). 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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 15, 2019 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Lebanon, Indiana · Boone County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RTH JUNGSTER 1 I, built 1972
- Registration
- N3243 · no longer on the register · serial 3
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, about 30 minutes into the flight, the oil pressure gauge needle entered the yellow (caution) arc. The pilot decided to make a precautionary landing at the nearest airport and to land on the grass on the right side of the asphalt runway. Before landing, he overflew the grass surface twice and then conducted a touch-and-go landing to assess the surface condition. The third approach and landing were normal, but during the landing roll, the main landing gear wheels encountered "a soft patch of muddy soil," and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage. The pilot reported that the only mechanical malfunction that occurred was specific to the oil pressure gauge.
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 landing (landing roll)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Wet/muddy terrain › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Wet/muddy terrain › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 35,000 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 30,000 as pilot in command; 8,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 1, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (waiver time limited special)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BMG Bloomington IN at 7:30 pm
- Destination: 3C1 Elkhart IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,600 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 July 15, 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 | Photo | 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.