Christensen Steve WHEELER EXPRESS accident near Holland, MN
On July 28, 2015, a Christensen Steve WHEELER EXPRESS (airplane) was involved in an accident near Holland, MN. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 28, 2015
- Place
- Holland, MN
- Aircraft
- Christensen Steve WHEELER EXPRESS · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 44.072°N, 96.191°W
- NTSB ID
- 20150728X85916
Official records · CEN15FA321
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC Track and Altitudes - Entire Flight: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC Track and Altitudes - End of Flight: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 27, 2015, at 1947 central daylight time, a Wheeler Express amateur-built airplane, N3FC, was substantially damaged after impacting terrain near Holland, Minnesota. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, with no flight plan filed. The local flight departed from Pipestone Municipal Airport (PQN), Pipestone, Minnesota, about 1932. A review of air traffic control (ATC) radar track/altitudes revealed the airplane proceeded 4 miles northeast of PQN and made several turning maneuvers between 2,100 and 3,400 ft above mean sea level (msl). Following these maneuvers, the airplane initiated a climb and continued northeast for an additional 4 miles. The airplane overflew Holland, Minnesota, at 6,600 ft msl, then made a right turn and proceeded south about 1 mile. Overhead the accident site at 6,200 ft msl, the airplane turned right and entered into a rapid descent. The last two radar returns, spaced 12 seconds apart, were at 5,400 and 3,600 ft msl. A witness located about ¾ mile from the accident site noticed the airplane spin about 1 to 1 ½ revolutions while in a nose down attitude. He heard the engine appear to sputter on two occasions, followed by a loud bang. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot, age 59, held a private pilot certificate with airplane single engine land and instrument ratings, as well as a repairman certificate - experimental aircraft
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed during a high-pitch, steep right turn, which resulted in the exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle-of-attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall, loss of control, and impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the airplane’s design, which resulted in poor yaw stability at low airspeed.
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Browse: Minnesota
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
