# Accident 20040817028299A: Amtr TBIRDTBT06, Gobles, MI, August 17, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 17, 2004, 20:10 local time
- Place: Gobles, MI
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.3606° N, 85.8703° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.3606&lon=-85.8703&mi=10
- Aircraft: N655DM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N655DM-2015-05-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Merk Stephen T-BIRD TBT06 (registry code 056040T, https://openairdocs.org/model/merk-stephen-t-bird-tbt06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Bombardier ROTAX (ALL) (registry code 09050, https://openairdocs.org/engine/bombardier-rotax-all) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR TBIRDTBT06
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 0 total, 0 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI04LA231](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI04LA231) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040817028299A

## Narrative

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

(-23) MARK EGGLESTON, THE OWNER, HAD ASKED DWIGHT FLEMING IF HE COULD TEACH HIM HOW TO FLY. DWIGHT SAID YES AS HE HAD BEEN FLYING ULTRA LIGHTS FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS. NEITHER PILOT KNEW THAT THIS AIRCRAFT REQUIRED A PILOTS CERTIFICATE TO FLY. WHEN MARK BOUGHT THE AIRCRAFT FROM GOLDEN CIRCLE AIR IN IOWA, THEY INDICATED TO HIM THAT HE DID NOT NEED TO HAVE THE REGISTRATION RENEWED IN HIS NAME. THEY DID NOT OFFER OR EVEN MENTION LOG BOOKS AND REQUIRED MAINTENANCE. MARK HAS HAD THIS AIRCRAFT SITTING IN HIS HANGAR FOR TWO YEARS WAITING UNTIL HE COULD LEARN TO FLY. THIS FLIGHT WAS THE SECOND TIME THAT HE HAS FLOWN IN THE AIRCRAFT. THEY DEPARTED HIS 1700 FOOT TURF RUNWAY ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF M-43 AND CLIMBED TO 100 TO 200 FEET ABOVE THE TREES ON THE NORTH SIDE OF M-43 WHEN THEY GOT CAUGHT IN A DOWN DRAFT OR A WIND SHEAR WHICH WAS CAUSED BY A SEVERE THUNDER STORM LOCATED ABOUT 5 MILES NORTH OF THE FIELD THEY HAD DEPARTED FROM. THE AIRCRAFT MADE A RAPID DESCENT STRIKING THE TOP OF A TREE. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ABOUT 25 FEET FROM THE TREE THEY HAD HIT WITH THE RIGHT WING COLLAPSED.

## 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 CHI04LA231](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI04LA231), Aug 17, 2004: Stephen T-Bird TBT06 (N655DM), Gobles, MI, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadvertent flight into adverse weather conditions which resulted in an encounter with a downdraft that exceeded the climb capabilities of the airplane. The downdraft and the trees were…

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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