- Date
- August 12, 2001, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Michigan City, IN
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N11991Schuetz Miniplane DSA-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 25, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration - South Bend FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010812026289A
- Case key
- 53049
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Aircraft control not being maintained by the pilot. Contributing factors to the accident were the pilot maneuvering at a low airspeed, the encountered stall/spin, and the recovery from the spin at a low altitude, which resulted in altitude/clearance not being maintained from the trees. Additional factors to the accident were the low fuel quantity, which resulted in fuel starvation and the momentary loss of engine power.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
According to the pilot, while in a "slow" turning maneuver the engine quit running, the airplane stalled and entered a spin. The pilot stated that he encountered the stall/spin at 1,150 feet msl. The pilot recovered at approximately 50 to 60 feet above the ground but was unable to climb before impacting a small grove of trees. The pilot reported that, "Before I realized the engine had quit I had lost to much airspeed. The plane stalled and went into a spin." The pilot stated that the engine began to run after the recovery from the spin. The pilot stated that the airplane's fuel quantity, as of the last departure, was 8 gallons. The fuel burn rate for a Continental O-200 engine is reported as 7.5 gallons/hour. The duration of the flight was approximately 0.5 hour. During a post-accident inspection no anomalies were found with the airplane or its engine that could be associated with any pre-impact condition.
Factual narrative
On August 12, 2001, at 1100 central daylight time, an amateur-built Schuetz Miniplane DSA-1, N11991, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage during an in-flight collision with trees and terrain near Michigan City, Indiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot, the sole occupant, was seriously injured. The flight departed the South Haven Area Regional Airport, South Haven, Michigan, at 1030 and was maneuvering at the time of the accident.
According to the pilot's written statement, at the time of the accident he was maneuvering, at approximately 1150 feet msl, trying to locate a friend's residence. The pilot stated that while he was in a turn the engine quit running. The pilot reported that the airspeed of the airplane was "slow" when the engine quit running. The pilot stated, "Before I realized the engine had quit I had lost to much airspeed. The plane stalled and went into a spin." The pilot reported that he regained control of the airplane and recovered from the spin at approximately 50 to 60 feet above the ground. The pilot stated that he was unable to climb before impacting a small grove of trees. The pilot reported that the engine began to run after the recovery from the spin.
The pilot stated that the airplane's fuel quantity, as of the last departure, was 8 gallons. The fuel burn rate for a Continental O-200 engine is reported as 7.5 gallons/hour.
During a post-accident inspection no anomalies were found with the airplane or its engine that could be associated with any pre-impact condition.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N11991
- Reported as
- Schuetz Miniplane DSA-1
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- DSA-1-75
- Airframe hours
- 542.09
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Terry R. Parmley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 5, 2000 · 8.28 hours before
- Departed
- 0D1 · South Haven, MI
- Destination
- MGC · Michigan City, IN
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- May 10, 2001
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,052 total · 167 in this make and model · 980 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- SBN, 22 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.