No fatalities

Student Pilot's Slipping Foot Leads to Run-Up Accident

Greenwood, IN, United States

On April 29, 2008, an Evektor Aerotechnik SportStar Plus operated by Kevin S. Bandy was involved in an aviation accident near Greenwood, IN. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during engine run-up. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

During an engine run-up, a student pilot's foot slipped off the brake pedal, causing the light-sport airplane to turn off the paved surface into a cornfield, resulting in substantial damage.

Accident Overview

A student pilot was conducting an engine run-up in a light-sport airplane. During the procedure, the pilot increased the engine revolutions per minute (rpm) to 4,000. The pilot reported that his right foot slipped off the brake pedal and partially came out of his shoe. While attempting to reposition his foot in the shoe, he inadvertently released the brake.

Narrative

As the pilot released the brake, the airplane turned and departed the paved surface, entering an adjacent cornfield. The front wheel and landing gear struck the field, causing substantial damage to the front of the aircraft. No additional details regarding the aircraft type, registration, operator, location, or time of day are available from the source.

Aircraft Damage

The accident resulted in substantial damage to the front of the airplane, specifically the front wheel and landing gear area. The extent of damage to other components is not specified.

Contributing factors

Flight crewPerformance/control parameters — Not attained/maintained