Smith AEROSTAR 600 accident near South Haven Charter Township, MI
On August 2, 2022, a Smith AEROSTAR 600 (airplane) was involved in an accident near South Haven Charter Township, MI. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 2, 2022
- Place
- South Haven Charter Township, MI
- Aircraft
- Smith AEROSTAR 600 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 42.356°N, 86.258°W
- NTSB ID
- 20220803105647
Official records · ERA22FA351
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On August 2, 2022, about 1030 eastern daylight time, a Smith Aerostar 600, N9784Q, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near South Haven Area Regional Airport (LWA), South Haven, Michigan. The air transport pilot and commercial pilot were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the spouse of the copilot, who was also the owner of the airplane, he sent her a text message on the morning of the accident saying he was going to conduct three takeoffs and landings after a preflight inspection of the airplane. A friend of the copilot stated that he spoke to the pilot that same morning. The friend stated that this was the first flight since the copilot had purchased the airplane, and he planned to stay in the traffic pattern to conduct a few touch-and-go landings. The friend also mentioned that another passenger, who was also a pilot, had flown in to accompany the pilot. The copilot had purchased the airplane about five years before and had been working on it since then. When the friend arrived at the airport he noticed the airplane was not in the traffic pattern. After a few hours, he became concerned and assumed that the airplane had landed at another airport. Later that evening, the copilot's wife called the friend to say she had not heard from her spouse. They contacted the local authorities and reported the airplane missing. The airplane was found the following morning in a heavily wooded area about one mile north of the airport. During the recovery of the airplane, it was determine
Probable cause
A loss of power to the left engine due to contamination of the fuel system. Contributing to the accident was the pilots’ failure to properly configure the airplane for flight with one engine inoperative.
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 · Smith aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
