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ERA14CA262

2014-05-24 · Williamsburg, Virginia, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N9912S

Make / Model
EVOLUTION TRIKES REVO
Year of manufacture
2011 · 3 years old at event
Engine
ROTAX 912ULS SERIES (100 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20110207
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S ADD909

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with water.

Factual narrative

The pilot stated that he was flying the weight-shift control aircraft over a river while the passenger took photos. As he slowed and descended the aircraft near a bird's nest in order for the passenger to capture a photo, the aircraft entered an aerodynamic stall. The pilot applied full engine power to recover, but the aircraft continued to sink before impacting the river, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot and passenger subsequently egressed and swam to the shore. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the aircraft or engine that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The pilot stated that he was flying the weight-shift control aircraft over a river while the passenger took photos. As he slowed and descended the aircraft near a bird's nest in order for the passenger to capture a photo, the aircraft entered an aerodynamic stall. The pilot applied full engine power to recover, but the aircraft continued to sink before impacting the river, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot and passenger subsequently egressed and swam to the shore. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the aircraft or engine that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.  Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Water-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_ERA14CA262.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). All research papers