Amateur-built STANDARD RG accident near Sebastian, Florida, July 17, 1998
On July 17, 1998 at about 2:00 pm local time, a amateur-built STANDARD RG, registered N96HV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sebastian, Florida (Sebastian Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of power control due to a disconnected throttle linkage. Also causal was the inadequate maintenance by the owner/builder.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 1998 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sebastian, Florida · Sebastian Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built STANDARD RG STANDARD R
- Registration
- N96HV · no longer on the register · serial DMO 234
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
When the pilot of the new, kit-built airplane realized he had lost throttle control, he decided to land at the home field of the manufacturer. He shut down the engine in the landing pattern, but miscalculated the power off descent rate, and landed short of his intended landing runway. Subsequent examination of the engine by factory personnel revealed that a castellated nut securing the cockpit throttle cable linkage to a threaded connection on the fuel metering shaft of the fuel servo had backed off due to a missing cotter pin. This allowed the linkage to disconnect and resultant loss of cockpit engine power control.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,836 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 71 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 1,773 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 17, 1998; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X59 Valkaria FL at 1:00 pm
- Destination: X26 FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 4,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 pm from VRB, 11 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.