Amateur-built 330 accident near Jean, Nevada, May 20, 2003
On May 20, 2003, a amateur-built 330, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jean, Nevada. 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 excessive taxi speed, which resulted in an inadvertent liftoff at an inadequate airspeed and a subsequent stall. A factor was the pilot's lack of experience in the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 20, 2003
- Place
- Jean, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 330
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stalled the airplane and impacted the ground during an inadvertent takeoff. The vehicle exceeded the maximum limits to be classified as an ultralight under 14 CFR 103. The owner was selling the airplane to the pilot. The owner demonstrated how it was assembled, and then demonstrated the airplane in flight. The pilot/buyer then put on his helmet and sat in the airplane. Two of his friends, and the owner, advised the pilot not to takeoff, to "just taxi." The pilot said he was not going to fly. While the pilot/buyer was taxiing, the airplane's speed increased. The airplane "went up" about 100 feet and then "[was] going straight to the ground." The airplane began to "come out of it" and the owner turned away. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft impacted the ground. One of the pilot's friends witnessed the accident. He reported the airplane "went up too fast, stalling, losing control, then smashing to the ground."
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
- Flight time: 0 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 554 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Kawasaki TB340A-202 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OL7 Jean NV
- Destination: 0L7 Jean NV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.