- Date
- June 18, 2002, 21:00 local (Jun 19, 2002, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Niles, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N816DJHulle Horizon 1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 18, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA-South Bend FSDO
- FAA report
- 20020618021549A
- Case key
- 55029
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
The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing. A factor was the pilot's lack of experience in tailwheel airplanes.
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
The amateur-built airplane sustained substantial damage when it nosed over after a bounced landing. The pilot reported, "Flew left hand pattern for runway 4 - Landed in the grass past intersection. Back taxied runway 4 and took off again. On second landing aircraft bounced, I neutralized the stick and aircraft settled back on grass an[d] nosed over, very quickly. I should have [kept] stick back and controlled descent with throttle." The pilot reported he had 112.9 hours of total flight experience and 7.6 hours of flight experience in the make and model of aircraft. He reported, "Low time tailwheel pilot, just need more experience."
Factual narrative
On June 18, 2002, at 2100 eastern daylight time, an amateur-built Hulle Horizon 1, N816DJ, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over after a bounced landing at the Jerry Tyler Memorial Airport (3TR), Niles, Michigan. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight departed 3TR and was on a local flight. The private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported, "Flew left hand pattern for runway 4 - Landed in the grass past intersection. Back taxied runway 4 and took off again. On second landing aircraft bounced, I neutralized the stick and aircraft settled back on grass an[d] nosed over, very quickly. I should have [kept] stick back and controlled descent with throttle." The pilot reported he had 112.8 hours of total flight experience and 7.6 hours of flight experience in the make and model of aircraft. He reported, "Low time tailwheel pilot, just need more experience."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N816DJ
- Reported as
- Hulle Horizon 1
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- H091
- Engine
- Continental A-65-8, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James Van Hulle
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- 3TR · Niles, MI
- Destination
- 3TR · MI
- Airport
- 3TR · Jerry Tyler Memorial Airport, runway 4, grass/turf
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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- September 27, 2001
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 113 total · 8 in this make and model · 65 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- SBN, 9 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 30, 2003, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 378 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.