Extra Flugzeugproduktions-Und EA 300/L accident near Las Vegas, Nevada, October 26, 2014
On October 26, 2014 at about 6:30 pm local time, a 2007 Extra Flugzeugproduktions-Und EA 300/L, registered N763DT, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (aerobatics) near Las Vegas, Nevada (Mc Carran International airport). It was an instructional 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 failure of the rudder cable due to tension overstress as a result of the cable’s strength being compromised by wear damage, which resulted in the flight instructor’s inability to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 2014 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Las Vegas, Nevada · Mc Carran International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Extra Flugzeugproduktions-Und EA 300/L L, built 2007 · all EA 300/Ls on the register
- Registration
- N763DT · registry record · serial 1258
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor was conducting an aerobatic demonstration flight for a pilot-rated passenger, during which the flight instructor was demonstrating the airplane's characteristics to the pilot. The flight instructor reported that he performed a spin maneuver, and during the recovery, he felt the tension in the rudder pedal become completely slack. The pedal moved completely forward, and he realized that the rudder cable must have separated. During the subsequent emergency landing at a nearby airport, the flight instructor could not maintain directional control, and the airplane slid off the right side of the runway. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the rudder cable had separated. The rudder cable showed signatures indicative of a failure due to tension overstress. Several of the wire strands on the cable were damaged by rubbing wear and were either completely worn through or nearly worn through, compromising the cross-section of the cable. The Federal Aviation Administration had issued a special airworthiness information bulletin (SAIB) for this airplane about 3 years before the accident to address similar rudder cable failures. The SAIB recommended that, to mitigate risk, cable inspections should be completed and a protective hose should be installed. A review of the maintenance logbooks found no record indicating that the SAIB had been implemented, and no protective hose was found. The SAIB was not mandatory, and the operator, which operated flights for paying passengers, including aerobatics and air combat demonstrations, chose not to the comply with it. If the operator had chosen to comply with the SAIB, the rudder cable may not have failed.
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
- Flight control sys malf/fail during maneuvering (aerobatics) defining event
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Rudder control system › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Rudder control system › Failure
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 400 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 200 as pilot in command; 200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,200 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 25, 2014; 22 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-540-L1B5 (piston); 1,200 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HND Henderson NV at 6:00 pm
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19R, 8,988 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from KLAS, 1 miles away
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.
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.