Moyes Bailey Microlite accident near Newberg, Oregon, December 22, 2010
On December 22, 2010 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Moyes Bailey Microlite, registered N7008Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Newberg, Oregon (Sportsman Airpark 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 improper recovery from a dive, which resulted in a loss of control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 22, 2010 · about 10:30 pm local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Newberg, Oregon · Sportsman Airpark · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Moyes Bailey Microlite Dragonfly
- Registration
- N7008Z · registry record · serial 046
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he leveled the experimental, amateur-built airplane in cruise flight and gripped the control stick with his legs in order to free his hands to perform some aerial photography. The pilot had done the same thing on previous flights, and he was aware that the airplane had a tendency to pitch down and accelerate when not monitored and controlled continuously. After he took some photographs, he grasped the stick with one hand and applied back pressure to reduce the airspeed. While attempting to stow the camera, he inadvertently let go of the control stick, and the airplane descended and accelerated again. Although the control stick was free to move, the pilot was unable to correct the flight path with the elevator, and he deployed the ballistic recovery parachute, and retarded the engine to idle. The airplane impacted terrain nose-first and sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector did not reveal any preimpact anomalies or failures. The pilot reported that after the accident, he learned it was necessary to retard the throttle in order to successfully recover from a dive.
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 maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Elevator control system › Incorrect use/operation other cases naming the flight controls
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 154 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 154 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 25, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 300 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 3, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 660 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2S6 Newberg OR at 10:30 pm
- Destination: 7S9 Hubbard OR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,400 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from UAO, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on January 25, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Interview Summary | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Compiled Photographs (5 Total) | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Metars | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N7008Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N7008Z on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Moyes Bailey 5 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Rotax 582 62 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Sportsman Airpark · nearest airport
- Lenhardt Airpark · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Oregon 1,864 since 1982 · 279 in the last ten years
- Oregon 7,001 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N7008Z 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR11CA079.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.