Evolution Trikes REVO accident near Kekaha, Hawaii, March 11, 2014
On March 11, 2014 at about 7:10 pm local time, a 2010 Evolution Trikes REVO (weight-shift aircraft), registered N98EV, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Kekaha, Hawaii (Port Allen Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's reconfiguration of the fuel venting system, which resulted in a loss of engine power and subsequent loss of aircraft control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 11, 2014 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Kekaha, Hawaii · Port Allen Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Evolution Trikes REVO NO SERIES, built 2010 · all REVOs on the register
- Registration
- N98EV · no longer on the register · serial 000551
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor was taking the student on an introductory instructional flight in a special light-sport weight-shift-control aircraft (trike). After departure, the instructor maneuvered the trike over the ocean and along the coast at an altitude of about 1,000 ft above ground level. About 20 minutes into the flight, the trike descended into terrain, impacted in a near vertical attitude, and was consumed by fire. Although the pilot was in radio communication with another trike, he did not report that he was having any difficulties. The pilot had recently experienced a problem with the trike's fuel system: during a previous flight, fuel was streaming out of the vent line due to suction created by its position in the airstream. Although the airframe manufacturer explained that this can be normal, the pilot decided to reposition the vent line. Before the accident flight, the pilot had re-routed the clear plastic vent line so that it ran up the mast and aft along the keel (inside the keel pocket) and then bent 180-degrees upward and around to face into the airstream. The severe impact and fire damage to the trike precluded determination of the events that led to the departure from controlled flight. However, the rerouted vent line may have become constricted due to the rerouted configuration, either by the tie wraps securing it to the keel or by the keel tube riding tightly against the keel pocket in flight. Such a constriction would lead to the fuel system becoming fully depressurized and the engine experiencing a loss of power due to fuel starvation. It is likely that the pilot became distracted by the loss of power and subsequently lost control of the trike.
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
- Unknown or undetermined during maneuvering defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel pressure › Incorrect service/maintenance
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Modification/alteration › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: instructor: sport pilot
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,427 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, December 19, 2013
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Birds In Paradise LLC
The flight
- Departed from: PHPA Hanapepe HI at 5:50 pm
- Destination: PHPA Hanapepe HI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from PHBK, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
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 N98EV the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR14FA135.