Darrell FALCONAR F9 accident near Grand Haven, MI
On July 21, 1995, a Darrell FALCONAR F9 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Grand Haven, MI. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 21, 1995
- Place
- Grand Haven, MI
- Aircraft
- Darrell FALCONAR F9 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 43.050°N, 86.219°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001207X03902
NTSB summary
History of Flight On July 20, 1995, at 2045, eastern daylight time, an experimental Falconar F9, N218DA, was destroyed following loss of control and impact with the ground after takeoff at Grand Haven Memorial Airpark, Grand Haven, Michigan. The private pilot received fatal injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight departed Grand Haven, Michigan, on a local flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. Witnesses reported that the airplane departed runway 9 at Grand Haven Memorial Airpark. They reported that the airplane was in a climb but it appeared to stall about 1,500 feet from the end of the runway. The witnesses reported that the wings appeared to be "fluttering back and forth," the right wing "dropped severely," and that the airplane "pancaked past the trees and disappeared." The co-owner of the airplane witnessed the accident and reported that he saw the airplane mushing and swaying from side to side. He yelled, " ...get your nose down. You're climbing too steep... ," prior to the crash. He also reported that, based on the engine noise, it appeared that the airplane was having problems powering up. A witness reported that he had been working on his ultralight at the time of the accident. He watched the accident airplane takeoff. The witness reported that the engine never missed a beat and sounded good. He reported that he could hear the engine laboring under the takeoff load, but other than that, it sounded okay until the crash. Personnel Information The pilot was a 68 year old male, private pilot. He held a third class medical certificat
Probable cause
Failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed during the climb after takeoff, which resulted in an inadvertent stall. Factors relating to the accident were: the pilot's use of an unapproved drug while flying, his lack of experience in the make and model of airplane, and his lack of recent flight experience.
More accidents in MI
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82, Aug 17, 1987
- Embraer EMB-120RT, Jan 9, 1997
- Beech 65-A90, Jul 31, 1999
- Casa C-212-CC, Mar 4, 1987
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-14, Dec 3, 1990
Browse: Michigan
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
