- Date
- June 26, 1999, 19:55 local (23:55 UTC)
- Place
- Morenci, MI
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N827PPorter Searey
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 22, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990626007779A
- Case key
- 46674
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 pilots inadequate preflight planning and his failure to maintain airspeed. Factors to the accident were the high trees at the departure end of the runway, and the stall encountered.
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 had just taken off from his private airstrip and did not believe that he could clear the trees at the end of the runway. The pilot decided to make a landing in an adjacent field that would require a turn of approximately 150 degrees. The pilot stated that the steep turn required resulted in a stall and subsequent nose down impact with the ground. The runway surface consisted of dry sod six inches high, which the pilot stated as a reason that the airplane did not reach rotation speed as soon as normal. The runway is approximately 965 feet long and 75 feet wide with high trees approximately 350 feet from the departure end of the runway. There is a slight uphill grade to the runway.
Factual narrative
On June 26, 1999, approximately 1955 eastern daylight time, an amateur-built Porter Searey, N827P, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain during a precautionary landing near Morenci, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, reported minor injuries. The flight was originating from a private airstrip at the time of the accident.
In a written statement, the pilot stated that he had just taken off from his private airstrip and did not believe that he could clear the trees at the end of the runway. The pilot stated that he decided to make a landing in an adjacent field. The pilot stated that the landing required a turn of approximately 150 degrees. The pilot stated that the steep turn required resulted in a stall and subsequent nose down impact with the ground. The pilot reported that the runway surface consisted of dry sod six inches high, which he stated as a reason that the airplane did not reach rotation speed as soon as normal.
The runway is approximately 965 feet long and 75 feet wide with high trees approximately 350 feet from the departure end of the runway. The pilot stated that there is a slight uphill grade to the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N827P
- Reported as
- Porter Searey
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1 DK074
- Airframe hours
- 47
- Engine
- Rotax 912S, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Roger L. Porter
- Registered owner
- Porter Lumber Company, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Airport
- Private Airstrip, runway 32, 965 × 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
- 71
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,838 total · 79 in this make and model · 1,838 as pilot in command · 79 in the last 90 days · 46 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ADG, 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.