- Date
- August 2, 1994, 18:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Interlochen, MI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N38KHDe Havilland Tiger Moth DH-82A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 16, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940802025319A
- Case key
- 9626
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 failure of the pilot to obtain the proper climb rate, and inadequate compensation for wind conditions.
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 was attempting to takeoff on runway 34. The runway is surrounded on all sides by 50 foot trees. He stated that right after takeoff, the wind shifted 180 degrees and the airplane lost airspeed. He tried to land back on the runway before the airplane hit the trees at the end of the runway. The airplane hit hard, broke the landing gear, and nosed over. The wind at the nearest reporting station, 13 miles northeast of the accident site, was 050 at 8 knots.
Factual narrative
On August 2, 1994, about 1800 eastern daylight time, a De Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth, N38KH, sustained substantial damage during a hard landing and subsequent nose over, following a aborted takeoff from the Green Lake Airport, Interlochen, Michigan. Neither the commercial pilot nor the sole passenger aboard the airplane were injured. No flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions existed for the local personal flight.
The pilot was attempting to takeoff on runway 34. The runway is 2100 X 200 feet. The runway is surrounded on all sides by 50 foot trees. The pilot stated the wind shifted 180 degrees and the airplane lost airspeed, right after takeoff. He said he tried to land on the runway before he reached the trees at the end of the runway. The airplane landed hard, broke the main landing gear, and nosed over. The recorded wind at the nearest reporting station, Traverse City, Michigan, was 050 degrees at 8 knots, recorded at 1745. Traverse City is 13 miles northeast of the accident site.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N38KH
- Reported as
- De Havilland Tiger Moth DH-82A (TIGER MOTH)
- Category
- Airplane
- Engine
- Avro GYPSY MAJOR, 140 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Elmer E. Sandmire
- Registered owner
- Harv Air, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Airport
- Y88 · Green Lake Airport, runway 34, 2,100 × 200 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
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 4 in this make and model · 30 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TVC, 13 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.