Antares - Balaban MA33 accident near Byron, California, July 22, 2008
On July 22, 2008 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Antares - Balaban MA33 (weight-shift aircraft), registered N92287, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Byron, California (Byron airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed, which resulted in a stall/mush.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2008 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Byron, California · Byron · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Antares - Balaban MA33
- Registration
- N92287 · no longer on the register · serial not give
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing the two-seat amateur-built experimental light sport aircraft at his planned destination when the accident occurred. The pilot stated about 10-feet above ground level (agl) "...we suddenly dropped through the air and the aircraft hit the ground hard." The aircraft's nose gear fork separated and the aircraft veered off the runway and nosed over. The aircraft sustained structural damage to the left wing. No mechanical anomalies or malfunctions with the aircraft were reported.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 75 hours in all; 73 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 74 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 12CA Lodi CA
- Destination: C83 Byron CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N92287 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.