CHI03FA149

The rental airplane impacted trees during initial climb from an aborted landing on runway 28, which was a 2,000 foot long grass airstrip. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed with winds from the south reported by the closest weather reporting station. The passenger stated that the airplane touched down about half down the runway, went back up in the air, and touched down a second time before taking off again. The airplane then impacted trees west of the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

The private pilot accumulated a total flight time of 141.2 hours over a period of about ten years, of which 5.5 hours were in the past 90 days and 2.3 hours were in the past 30 days from the accident date. According to the pilot's certified flight instructor, the pilot last received flight instruction on a grass airstrip during the pilot's student pilot training. He said that the pilot had very little experience on grass airstrips since receiving his private pilot certificate based upon what he could remember. The pilot's last airman medical certificate was expired at the time of the accident.

A Federal Aviation Administration safety publication, which provides guidance to pilots in their planning of takeoffs and landings, states: always plan touchdown 200 feet inside of runway threshold, abort takeoff if not solidly "airborne" in first 1/2 of runway, and abort landing if not solidly "on" in first 1/3 of runway (first 1/4 if wet grass).

History of flight

On June 6, 2003, at 1441 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N975SP, operated by Western Shore Aviation, Inc. as a rental airplane, was destroyed on impact with trees and terrain during initial climb from runway 28 at Pricket-Grooms Field Airport (6Y9), Sidnaw, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. The private pilot was fatally injured, and the passenger received serious injuries. The flight originated from Manitowoc County Airport (MTW), Manitowoc, Wisconsin, about 1220, and was en route to 6Y9.

A copy of Western Shore Aviation, Inc.'s Appointment Schedule for day of the accident shows the pilot's name with a line from 1100 - 1700 under the accident airplane column.

A Western Shore Aviation Inc., certified flight instructor (CFI) said that he dispatched the pilot just like any other pilot. The pilot signed their "book," which means that he was "signing off" on their standard operating procedures (SOPs) for airplane rental. The CFI asked the pilot where he was going, to which the pilot responded that he was going to northern Wisconsin. The pilot went out to preflight the airplane, and a "little while later" his passenger arrived.

According to a Michigan State Police report, the passenger reported that he and the pilot had been co-workers for a number of years. They decided to take a flight from MTW to 6Y9, in order to take a friend for a ride, and then return by 1700. The passenger reported that everything was fine and they had no problems on the way up. When they got to 6Y9, the pilot flew over high once to take a look at the airstrip. The pilot then decided to take another look lower and check it out. They flew low and the pilot told him everything looked fine and it should be easy to land there. So they came around a third time from the east. They came in, touched down about half down the runway, went back up in the air, and touched down a second time. He thought they were going a little fast, but he was not worried. He said that the pilot told him they had to go up and try it again, because they were getting too close to the end of the runway. The passenger stated the pilot pulled back on the controls and put the throttle down in an effort to get over the trees at the west end of the runway. He stated the pilot seemed a little nervous and all of a sudden he started to bank to the left. The passenger reported that as they banked to the left, the plane dipped, and he felt something hit either the wing or another part of the airplane. He said he felt it hit and suddenly it turned the plane and they hit nose first into the ground.

Three witnesses who were parked in a truck adjacent to the south side of runway 28 reported the following:

One of the witnesses stated that the airplane touched down in front of them and again about 50 feet further down the runway. The airplane then accelerated, rose (it seemed sharply), then banked left and came down at which point he lost sight of it behind the trees. The attitude of the airplane seemed fairly flat with a slight upward pitch. He could not tell what position the flaps were in.

The second witness stated that the truck was parked about a quarter of the way down from the east end of the runway. The first time that they saw the airplane was when it was in the process of circling the runway in a counter clockwise direction. They lost sight of it when it was heading south and assumed that it was going to circle and land. The trees obscured their view of the eastern quarter of the strip. When the airplane appeared in front of them, it was moving at a good rate of speed and in a level position, its wheels on the ground. It immediately made a very slight hop and touched down again. Seconds later it was climbing into the sky. A few seconds later he lost sight of it in a tree branch. A few seconds later he saw through the branches the airplane go down against the backdrop of a tree line. He heard nothing except for the normal engine sound as it came by during landing.

The third witness stated that he did not witness the airplane touch down due to the location of the observation area at the airfield. He witnessed the airplane traveling down the runway and it seemed to have too much speed for the distance. He saw the airplane bounce twice, its wheel leaving the ground. The airplane then left the ground and began to pull up. It appeared that the airplane did not have enough speed as it banked to its left at tree top level. He then lost sight of the airplane, and he looked in the area he thought it would be in. It was apparent that the airplane did not make the trees.

Personal information

The pilot, age 46, held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating. He accumulated a total flight time of 141.2 hours, of which 49.6 hours were in the make and model of the accident airplane. He accumulated a total flight time of 5.5 hours in the past 90 days and 2.3 hours in the past 30 days from the accident date.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration's Blue Ribbon airman medical record, the pilot received his last airman medical certificate on July 2, 1999. The airman medical certificate was a third class with no limitations. The latest medical certificate, found on-scene and with the pilot's logbook, was dated July 2, 1999.

According to the pilot's logbook, the pilot received his last biennial flight review (BFR) from a Western Shore Aviation CFI on April 5, 2003. The BFR was logged as a local flight from MTW and was 1.6 hours in duration. The CFI who had given him the BFR said that he spent the majority of time on takeoff and landings, air work, and navigation with a hypothetical flight to La Crosse, Wisconsin. He spent a lot of time discussing the flight to Lacrosse, Wisconsin, its class D airspace, and radio communications.

The CFI who gave the pilot a BFR said that he had been the pilot's CFI from 1993 to 1994 during which time he provided instruction towards the pilot's private pilot certificate at Champion Aviation, which is now Western Aviation. The pilot last received flight instruction on a grass airstrip when they flew to New Holstein during the pilot's student pilot training, as the CFI usually does with his students. He said that the pilot had "very little" experience on grass airstrips since receiving his private pilot certificate based upon what he could remember. He said that he did not see the pilot a lot, and he was an individual who did not fly a "great deal." He thought that the pilot was very responsible and sensible. He was not a risk taker and he did not have that kind of personality.

Aircraft information

The 1999 Cessna 172S, serial number 172S8197, was operated as a rental/instructional airplane by Western Shore Aviation. The single-engine, four-seat airplane was powered by a Lycoming IO-360-L2A, engine, serial number L-28243-51A, rated at 180 horsepower at 2,700 rpm. The airframe received its last 100-hour inspection dated May 23, 2003, at a tachometer time of 1,009.6 hours, a Hobbs time of 1,275.2 hours, or a total time of 1,009.6 hours. The engine received its last 100-hour inspection dated May 29, 2003, at a tachometer time of 1,015.0 hours, Hobbs time of 1,293.1 hours, and a total time of 1,015.0 hours.

Meteorological information

The Houghton County Memorial Airport, Hancock, Michigan, automated surface observing system (ASOS), located about 40.1 nautical miles (NM) north-northeast of 6Y9, recorded at 1453: wind 110 degrees at 10 knots; visibility 10 statute miles (SM); sky condition scattered 10,000 feet above ground level (AGL); temperature 18 degrees Celsius (C); dew point 18 degrees C; altimeter setting 29.84 inches of mercury.

The Eagle River Union Airport, Eagle River, Wisconsin, ASOS, located about 42.3 NM sout