19970413011169I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Aircraft · Sleepy Eye, MN · April 13, 1997

Date: April 13, 1997 · 15:32 local
Place: Sleepy Eye, MN
Airport: Sleepy Eye Municipal Airport
Phase of flight: Final Approach
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: NONE
Reported engine: ROTAX ROTAX503
Fatal injuries: 0

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Mr. Moldaschel a certificated pilot was operating a two seat ultralight airplane with only himself onboard reported he had just lifted off and felt the aircraft was unstable and somewhat uncontrollable. He was coming around to land when he nosed the aircraft over when the airplane went into a dive could not recover before hitting the ground. The ultralight airplane was unregistered and uncertificated nor did the pilot hold an exemption for two seat ultralight operations.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) MR. MOLDASCHEL A CERTIFICATED PILOT WAS OPERATING A TWO SEAT ULTRALIGHT AIRPLANE WITH ONLY HIMSELF ONBOARD REPORTED HE HAD JUST LIFTED OFF AND FELT THE AIRCRAFT WAS UNSTABLE AND SOMEWHAT UNCONTROLLABLE. HE WAS COMING AROUND TO LAND WHEN HE NOSED THE AIRCRAFT OVER WHEN THE AIRPLANE WENT INTO A DIVE COULD NOT RECOVER BEFORE HITTING THE GROUND. THE ULTRALIGHT AIRPLANE WAS UNREGISTERED AND UNCERTIFICATED NOR DID THE PILOT HOLD AN EXEMPTION FOR TWO SEAT ULTRALIGHT OPERATIONS.