NTSB CAROL · Event
Event LAX92LA073
Registry · N8259S
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
VAN'S AIRCRAFT RV-12
Year of manufacture
2019
Engine
ROTAX 912ULS SERIES (100 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20190605
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AB4712
Registrant of record
SOWERS SCOTT E
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE PILOT MISJUDGING THE LANDING FLARE. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S LACK OF TOTAL FLIGHT EXPERIENCE.
Factual narrative
ACCORDING TO INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY THE OPERATOR AND THE FAA INSPECTOR WHO EXAMINED THE AIRPLANE AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED FOLLOWING A HARD LANDING. THE AIRCRAFT THEN VEERED TO THE LEFT AND NOSED OVER AS IT DEPARTED THE RUNWAY. ACCORDING TO THE OPERATOR, THE STUDENT PILOT HAD A TOTAL OF 27 HOURS OF AERONAUTICAL EXPERIENCE WITH 5 OF THOSE HOURS AS PILOT IN COMMAND (SOLO). Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1991_LAX92LA073.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Beyond the agency record
Search this event elsewhere.
Pre-filled searches into the sources where news + community discussion of aviation events lives. External sources are reported, not agency. Treat them as signal that something happened, not as fact about what happened.
Entity-clustered aviation events in the press — last 24 hr + 30-day archive.
Official agency record + docket.
Investigative docket: factual reports, photos, transcripts.
Long-running aviation incident database (Flight Safety Foundation).
Community NTSB synthesis blog — often has photos and witness reports.
Gold-standard aviation incident blog.
Aviation industry news search.
GA pilot forum — informed but rumor-prone.
GA pilot subreddit search.
Tail-number page — flight history (free tier limited).
AOPA Air Safety Institute search.
Mainstream press coverage. Recent events only.
Privacy-preserving news search.
External links open in a new tab. We don't ingest their content; we deep-link search queries.