- Date
- July 1, 1990, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Iron Mountain, MI
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N176Oo-Culley Osprey
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900701042829A
- Case key
- 14469
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
Jamming of the rudder cable between the pulley and the pulley support bracket and the pilot's continued operation of the airplane with a known deficiency.
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
Witnesses reported seeing the airplane enter a shallow left bank shortly after takeoff. They stated the bank gradually increased to approximately 60 degrees at which time the nose dropped and the airplane entered a descending spiral until it crashed into a river. The pilot reported having problems with the rudder controls and airspeed indicator prior to the accident. The pilot made some adjustments to the rudder controls prior to this flight. Post-accident inspection revealed duct tape on the flight control cables. The rudder control cable had slipped off it's pulley and jammed between the pulley and the pulley support bracket.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N176
- Reported as
- Oo-Culley Osprey
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 176
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290, 125 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Erickson, Conrad W.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- IMT
- Destination
- IMT
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
- 60
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 180 total · 2 in this make and model · 2 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IMT, 2 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.