- Date
- October 25, 2007, 16:10 local (20:10 UTC)
- Place
- Owosso, MI
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N702BWVeltman, Robert CH701
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA-DTW-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20071025824699A
- Case key
- 67029
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 inadvertantly turned the fuel selector to the off position and failed to maintain aircraft control during the subsequent loss of engine power. A factor associated with the accident was the pilot's change in his normal habit pattern.
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 airplane was substantially damaged following a loss of engine power on takeoff. The pilot broke his normal habit pattern by not turning the fuel selector off when he landed. When he got back in the airplane to depart, he forgot the fuel selector was already on and he turned it to the off position The engine lost power about 30 feet above the ground during the initial takeoff climb. The nose dropped and the airplane impacted the ground.
Factual narrative
The airplane was substantially damaged following a loss of engine power on takeoff. The pilot landed at an airport to drop a passenger off prior to continuing on to his private airstrip. He stated that his normal habit was to turn the fuel selector off when shutting the engine down, but he did not do that this time. When he got back in the airplane to depart, he forgot the fuel selector was already on and he turned it to the off position The engine quit about 30 feet above the ground during the initial takeoff climb. The nose dropped and the airplane impacted the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N702BW
- Reported as
- Veltman, Robert CH701
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 4442
- Airframe hours
- 73.1
- Engine
- Jabiru 2200A, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Pilot
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · May 1, 2007
- Departed
- Owosso, MI
- Destination
- Private Strip, MI
- Airport
- RNP · Owosso Community Airport, runway 10, 4,300 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 56
- Injuries
- Serious
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 1, 2006
- Flight hours
- 280 total · 73 in this make and model · 225 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 10 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.25 inHg
- Observed at
- RNP
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N702BW · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.