Pilot Debrief

EVEKTOR - AEROTECHNIK A S SPORTSTAR MAX near Needles, CA — 2025-12-27

Investigation ongoingWPR26LA073
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Date
2025-12-27
Location
Needles, CA, USA
Airport
EED
Aircraft
EVEKTOR - AEROTECHNIK A S SPORTSTAR MAX
Registration
N2312T
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

NTSB has not published a probable cause for this accident yet. Preliminary reports describe what happened; the cause is determined later, often 12–24 months after the event.

NTSB narrative

On December 27, 2025, about 1109 Pacific standard time, an Evektor-Aerotechnik AS Sportstar Max LSA airplane, N2312T, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Needles, California. The pilot and pilot rated passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that while operating in cruise flight about 6,500 ft mean sea level (msl) to Lake Havasu City Airport (HII), Lake Havasu City, Arizona, all flight instruments and engine parameters were within normal operating ranges. Without warning, the airplane began vibrating violently and the control sticks moved rapidly to their forward and aft limits several. The engine RPM decreased, the vibrations simultaneously subsided and after about 15 seconds the pilot regained the ability to manipulate the control stick. The passenger observed that one of the three propeller blades had departed the propeller hub, and the pilot initiated a forced landing on runway 02 at Needles Airport (EED), Needles, California. Post-flight inspection of the engine revealed substantial damage to the upper left engine mount which separated from the firewall. The propeller hub was fracture-separated at the blade grip. The blade grip material and the four blade retention bolts were liberated from the hub. The airplane was recovered to a secure area for further examination.

Preliminary NTSB coding

  • Loss of engine power (partial) · Enroute-cruise
  • Engine Failure Enroute
View NTSB preliminary report

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