Good VELOCITY accident near Romulus, MI

On April 19, 1998, a Good VELOCITY (airplane) was involved in an accident near Romulus, MI. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

April 19, 1998

Place

Romulus, MI

Aircraft

Good VELOCITY · Airplane

Injuries

1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

42.229°N, 83.390°W

NTSB ID

20001211X09823

NTSB summary

On April 19, 1998, at 1809 eastern daylight time (edt), a Good Velocity, N234Q, operated by a commercial pilot, was destroyed when during cruise flight, the airplane's engine lost power. During the subsequent forced landing, the airplane struck some trees and impacted the terrain. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The illegal smuggling flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan was on file. The pilot was fatally injured. The origin of the illegal flight was unknown; however, the airplane crossed the United States-Mexico border near Big Bend National Park, Texas, at approximately 0830 edt. A U. S. Customs Service official said that at approximately 0830 central daylight time (cdt), the U. S. Customs Service Air Interdiction Coordination center (DAICC), at Riverside, California, received notification from a park ranger at Big Bend National Park, Texas, of an unidentified airplane entering the United States from Mexico. This airplane did not notify U. S. authorities of its arrival. At 0840 cdt, a U. S. Customs Service aircraft was dispatched from its home base and intercepted the airplane near Alpine, Texas. U. S. Customs Service aircraft followed the airplane on a northeasterly heading for over 8 hours, until arriving in the Detroit, Michigan area. The flight covered a distance of more than 1,200 miles. The airplane was observed overflying the Detroit Metropolitan Airport and circling over the downtown area, until it descended and crashed into an athletic field. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examin

Probable cause

improper planning/decision by the pilot, by using the airplane in an illegal activity and allowing the fuel to be exhausted before landing. Factors relating to this accident were: the pilot being under pressure to reach his destination with his illegal cargo, and trees in the forced landing area.

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.