- Date
- August 4, 1988, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- St. Charles, MI
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N97797Stinson 108-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 7, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880804030239A
- Case key
- 14132
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
The pilot failed to attain sufficient altitude to clear obstacles during the initial climb-out and the aircraft collided with trees located off the departure end of the private grass strip. The aircraft fell to the ground, where it caught fire and was destroyed. The temperature reported by the observation facility at saginaw, Michigan (approximately 15 NM northeast of the accident site) at about the time of the accident was 96 degrees. The pilot stated that the accident may have been prevented by waiting until it cooled down before departing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N97797
- Reported as
- Stinson 108-1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 108-797
- Engine
- Franklin 6A4-150-B3, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Wend, Eugene T.
- Registered owner
- Wend, Eugene T
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Airport
- NONE · Private Airstrip, runway 18, 2,650 × 75 ft, 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
- 64
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 450 total · 18 in this make and model · 450 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 97 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MBS, 14 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.
Other investigations on N97797 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.