20140710011249A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Aircraft · Petersburg, MI · July 10, 2014

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal NTSB investigation search

Date: July 10, 2014 · 17:00 local
Place: Petersburg, MI
Airport: Lada
Phase of flight: Unknown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: NONE
Reported engine: ROTAX 532
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Student

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.

The non-certificated pilot was operating an unregistered air command gyroplane that crashed approximately 500 yards east of Lada Airport (7MI5) in a farm field. The crash site was tightly contained and was 30 feet long going south to north. All airframe components were located at the wreckage site, the smell of fuel was evident. The inspectors examination of the aircraft revealed the #1 spark plug was loose and the throttle was closed. The #1 spark plug threads were not damaged, and could be tightened in the cylinder. Continuity of the flight control system could not be determined due to the severity of the impact. There were no witnesses to the flight.

As the FAA filed it

THE NON-CERTIFICATED PILOT WAS OPERATING AN UNREGISTERED AIR COMMAND GYROPLANE THAT CRASHED APPROXIMATELY 500 YARDS EAST OF LADA AIRPORT (7MI5) IN A FARM FIELD. THE CRASH SITE WAS TIGHTLY CONTAINED AND WAS 30 FEET LONG GOING SOUTH TO NORTH. ALL AIRFRAME COMPONENTS WERE LOCATED AT THE WRECKAGE SITE, THE SMELL OF FUEL WAS EVIDENT. THE INSPECTORS EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THE #1 SPARK PLUG WAS LOOSE AND THE THROTTLE WAS CLOSED. THE #1 SPARK PLUG THREADS WERE NOT DAMAGED, AND COULD BE TIGHTENED IN THE CYLINDER. CONTINUITY OF THE FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM COULD NOT BE DETERMINED DUE TO THE SEVERITY OF THE IMPACT. THERE WERE NO WITNESSES TO THE FLIGHT.