Fisher Mini Max 1300 accident near Sandy, Oregon, May 30, 2005
On May 30, 2005, a Fisher Mini Max 1300, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N548AF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sandy, Oregon. 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 inadequate preflight (his inability to get full elevator down deflection with the flight control stick with shoulder harness and seat belt on) and subsequent loss of aircraft control which resulted in a stall/spin into the trees. Contributing factors were the lack of familiarity with the aircraft and the lack of pilot certification.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 2005
- Place
- Sandy, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fisher Mini Max 1300, amateur-built
- Registration
- N548AF · no longer on the register · serial MK482
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he had just purchased the zero-time aircraft. He said that a friend test flew it for approximately 40 minutes. The pilot said that he preflighted the airplane, but did not have a check list. He said that after he strapped himself into the single seat cockpit, he maneuvered the flight controls, but does not believe that he got the stick full forward. The pilot said that while ground testing the aircraft, he could not get the tail wheel to rise. He increased the speed in an attempt to raise the tail wheel, and the aircraft became airborne. He said that when he got to approximately 50 feet, the aircraft stalled to the right into some trees and brush. Both wings broke in half and the bottom of the fuselage broke out from under the pilot. The pilot had approximately 40 hours of flight training in 1989; he was not a certificated pilot. The pilot said that because of his seat belt and shoulder harness, he could not get full forward deflection of the control stick.
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: 40 hours in all; 40 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 550 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 337 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 03S Sandy OR
- Destination: 03S
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,500 ft; ovct at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from TTD, 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.