Amateur-built NIEUPORT 11 accident near White Pine, Montana, August 14, 2000
On August 14, 2000 at about 4:30 pm local time, a amateur-built NIEUPORT 11, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near White Pine, Montana. 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
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during takeoff after becoming airborne. Contributing factors were his lack of overall recent flight experience and the stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 2000 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- White Pine, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built NIEUPORT 11 NIEUPORT 1
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 1163
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was initiating his first flight in the homebuilt Nieuport 11 aircraft and had reported unresolved directional control problems during previous taxi tests. He reported that during the takeoff from the 3,500-foot turf field, he had difficulty maintaining directional control due to the tailskid dragging. He was able to get the tail off the ground but then 'stalled' the airplane veering off to the right, impacting terrain and ultimately nosing over. He subsequently reported that there was no mechanical malfunction with the aircraft; and that an inexperienced pilot should not have been operating the aircraft on its first flight. Records maintained by the FAA showed the pilot obtaining a private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land rating on July 21, 1964. His most current medical (third class) was issued May 4, 1966. The FAA showed no record of flight time at the pilot's most recent medical, and the pilot reported that his 'license was not kept current' and that he had misplaced his flight log book and did not know what his total flight experience was.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 550 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 3,500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 pm from COE, 49 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.
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.