20030802016749A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Amtr TIERRA2 · Elbow Lake, MN · August 2, 2003

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal NTSB investigation search

Date: August 2, 2003 · 07:00 local
Place: Elbow Lake, MN
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: NONE
Reported as: Amtr TIERRA2
Reported engine: ROTAX ROTAX532
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1
Pilot’s flight hours: 58 total

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) Pilot was planning to fly from his home to the Elbow Lake airport (Y63), approximately 4 miles. He planned to leave his house around 6 or 6:30 am. When the pilot did not show up at the Elbow Lake airport, his wife called his brother, also a pilot, to help look for his brother. The crash was spotted from the air and police and rescue were directed in. Both his brother and another pilot who was also up looking for the crash site said that it was much too foggy to be flying, but only did because of this emergency. The victim flew into known fog and became disoriented. Aircraft spun out of control and struck the ground nose first. Accident was fatal.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT WAS PLANNING TO FLY FROM HIS HOME TO THE ELBOW LAKE AIRPORT (Y63), APPROXIMATELY 4 MILES. HE PLANNED TO LEAVE HIS HOUSE AROUND 6 OR 6:30 AM. WHEN THE PILOT DID NOT SHOW UP AT THE ELBOW LAKE AIRPORT, HIS WIFE CALLED HIS BROTHER, ALSO A PILOT, TO HELP LOOK FOR HIS BROTHER. THE CRASH WAS SPOTTED FROM THE AIR AND POLICE AND RESCUE WERE DIRECTED IN. BOTH HIS BROTHER AND ANOTHER PILOT WHO WAS ALSO UP LOOKING FOR THE CRASH SITE SAID THAT IT WAS MUCH TOO FOGGY TO BE FLYING, BUT ONLY DID BECAUSE OF THIS EMERGENCY. THE VICTIM FLEW INTO KNOWN FOG AND BECAME DISORIENTED. AIRCRAFT SPUN OUT OF CONTROL AND STRUCK THE GROUND NOSE FIRST. ACCIDENT WAS FATAL.