Aeromot AMT-200(SU accident near Placerville, California, October 17, 2009
On October 17, 2009 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Aeromot AMT-200(SU (glider), registered N107MJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Placerville, California (Placerville - Swansboro airport). 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 failure to maintain clearance from an obstacle during the landing rollout. Contributing to the accident was the presence of the brush in proximity to the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2009 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Placerville, California · Placerville - Swansboro · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeromot AMT-200(SU · all AMT-200(SUs on the register
- Registration
- N107MJ · registry record · serial 200.051
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during the landing rollout at the private airport, the glider's left wing struck a series of bushes located along the side of the landing runway. After striking the bushes, the glider swerved, exited the runway and came to rest in a ravine located along the right side of the runway. The glider sustained substantial damage to the right wing and aileron. The pilot reported that the airplane's wing span is approximately 60-feet and the width of the paved runway is approximately 50-feet, with a 10-foot shoulder on each side of the runway. The pilot reported the bushes were located approximately 900-feet from the landing threshold, were 4-7 feet tall, and 8-12 feet from the pavement edge on neighboring property to the north of his runway. In a written report, he indicated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider at the time of the accident. Following the accident, the neighboring property owner removed the bush.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Airport occurrence during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Response/compensation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 5,100 hours in all; 150 in this make and model
- Last flight review: January 11, 2009
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 442 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 11, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 1,874 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O1LC Placerville CA at 3:45 pm
- Destination: O1LC Placerville CA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 09, 3,100 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.