Amateur-built JA 30 SUPERSTOL accident near Leavenworth, Washington, August 28, 2023
On August 28, 2023 at about 5:15 pm local time, a 2015 amateur-built JA 30 SUPERSTOL, registered N869BB, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Leavenworth, Washington (Lake Wenatchee State 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 airplane control during taxi, which resulted in a nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 2023 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Leavenworth, Washington · Lake Wenatchee State · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built JA 30 SUPERSTOL, built 2015
- Registration
- N869BB · registry record · serial JA366-04-14
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, while taxiing for takeoff on a gravel bar, he encountered a slope. To prevent potential loss of control, he applied brake pressure to both wheels, causing the airplane to nose over, resulting in substantial damage to the rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Nose over/nose down during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Choppy surface › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 286 hours in all; 230 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 84 in the last 30 days; 230 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 7, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 479 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, June 25, 2023; 105 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,520 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 915IS (piston); 105 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 am from KEAT, 32 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KEAT 281755Z AUTO 26004KT 10SM CLR 26/11 A3005 RMK AO2 SLP164 T02610106 10261 20194 58004
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 December 7, 2023. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | 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.