- Date
- October 19, 1986, 17:43 local (21:43 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Haven, MI
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3045EBrown Acro Sport II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19861019051639A
- Case key
- 13560
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 after takeoff he leveled off to gain airspeed and then entered a 60 degree pitch up attitude. The pilot stated at about 400 feet AGL he noticed the airspeed was lower than 'normal'. Shortly thereafter the aircraft stalled and entered a spin impacting the terrain next to the same runway from which it departed. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft enter a near vertical climb after takeoff, spin and impact the terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3045E
- Reported as
- Brown Acro Sport II (ACRO SPORT)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 135
- Airframe hours
- 2,519
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Stepehn Heckman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 22, 1986 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- 3GM · Grand Haven, MI
- Airport
- 3GM · Grand Haven Memorial, runway 27, 3,750 × 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
- 33
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Invalid Medical for flight
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 1,039 total · 50 in this make and model · 929 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Observed at
- MKG, 20 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.