Amateur-built SPORTSTAR accident near Las Vegas, Nevada, August 9, 2020
On August 9, 2020 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 2006 amateur-built SPORTSTAR, registered N644SB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Las Vegas, Nevada (North Las Vegas airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's inadequate decision to make a premature turn onto a taxiway which resulted in a collision with a taxiway sign.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 2020 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Las Vegas, Nevada · North Las Vegas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SPORTSTAR No Series, built 2006
- Registration
- N644SB · registry record · serial 2006 0702
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot reported that during the landing roll, she was not ready to turn off the runway when the tower controller instructed her to exit the runway at taxiway "C". The pilot tried to follow the controller's instruction and made a turn at the taxiway. During the turn, the left wing was substantially damaged when it struck a taxiway sign. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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) defining event
- Miscellaneous/other during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Student/instructed pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Sign/marker › Effect on operation
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Student/instructed pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 32 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,038 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 1, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912/ULS (piston); 1,623 hours total
- Operator: Light Sport Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: VGT Las Vegas NV at 4:44 pm
- Destination: VGT Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12R, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 102°F (39°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KVGT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on October 9, 2020. 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 | Photo | 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.
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.