Trikes GTE 503 SL accident near Emmett, Idaho, November 22, 2004
On November 22, 2004, a Trikes GTE 503 SL (ultralight), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Emmett, Idaho. 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 intentionally performing an aerobatic maneuver while not maintaining clearance of the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 22, 2004
- Place
- Emmett, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Trikes GTE 503 SL
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A friend and fellow-pilot of the accident pilot said that they had flown, in separate aircraft, to Caldwell, Idaho, and were returning to the friend's private grass airstrip north of Emmett, Idaho. The pilot's friend said that he landed, and then realized that he had lost contact with the accident pilot. Witnesses said they saw the accident pilot performing a loop, and subsequently impact the ground. The accident pilot's friend said that the accident pilot had an estimated 30 hours of flight experience in ultralights. He did not have a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight certificate, nor did he have a FAA ultralight exemption. The aircraft had two seats, a gross weight of 947 pounds, and a ten gallon fuel tank; therefore, it did not meet the FAR Part 103 regulation for an ultralight aircraft.
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: 30 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 947 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EUL Caldwell ID at 10:00 pm
- Destination: NONE Emmett ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 11:15 pm from KEU, 16 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.