# Accident 19991009030569A: Amd FALCON900, Holland, MI, October 9, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 9, 1999, 15:10 local time
- Place: Holland, MI
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.7703° N, 86.1002° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.7703&lon=-86.1002&mi=10
- Aircraft: N523AC (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: AMD FALCON900
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI00FA006](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI00FA006) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19991009030569A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(.19) ON OCTOBER 9, 1999, AT 1510 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A DASSAULT-BREGUET MYSTERE FALCON, DA-900B, N523AC, OPERATED BY THE AMWAY CORPORATION EXPERIENCED A SERIES OF VIOLENT PITCH OSCILLATIONS WHILE LEVELING OFF AT 11,000 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL) DURING A DESCENT INTO GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.  THE 14 CFR PART 91 FLIGHT HAD DEPARTED THE PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, PORTLAND, OREGON, AT 1200 EDT EN ROUTE TO THE KENT COUNTY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.  THE CAPTAIN REPORTED THAT AT APPROXIMATELY 11,400 FEET MSL, IT APPEARED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS GOING TO DESCEND BELOW THE ASSIGNED LEVEL OFF ALTITUDE OF 11,000 FEET MSL.  THE FIRST OFFICER, WHO WAS THE FLYING PILOT IN THE LEFT SEAT, PULLED BACK ON THE AIRPLANE'S YOKE TO INITIATE THE LEVEL OFF WITHOUT DISENGAGING THE AUTOPILOT.  THE FIRST OFFICER REPORTED THAT WHEN HE RELAXED THE BACK STICK PRESSURE ON THE YOKE, THE AIRPLANE PITCHED NOSE DOWN APPROXIMATELY 20 DEGREES.  A SERIES OF THREE TO FOUR PITCH OSCILLATIONS OCCURRED BEFORE THE AIRPLANE WAS BROUGHT INTO CONTROL. THE CAPTAIN AND FIRST OFFICER AND THE TWO PASSENGERS HAD THEIR SEAT BELTS ON AND WERE NOT INJURED.  THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT WHO WAS IN THE AIRPLANE'S GAL LEY RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE FLIGHT CONTINUED ON TO GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, WHICH WAS ABOUT 32 NAUTICAL MILES AWAY, AND AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING WAS MADE.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER AND THE FLIGHT DATA RECORDER WERE SENT TO THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD FOR EXAMINATION.  THE AIRPLANE'S TWO FLIGHT GUIDANCE COMPUTERS (FGC'S) WERE SENT TO HONEYWELL INC. IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA, TO OBTAIN A READOUT OF THE DATA RECORDED WITHIN THE MEMORY OF THE COMPONENTS.                                                   (-23)SEE NARRATIVE CHI00FA006

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI00FA006](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI00FA006), Oct 9, 1999: Dassault DA-900B (N523AC), Holland, MI, minor damage. Probable cause: The copilot's improper use of the autopilot system while leveling the flight from descent, resulting in an inadvertent pilot-induced pitch oscillation of the airplane. A factor was the flight…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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