Welch MURPHY REBEL N8160X

Summary

On 24 October 1999 at about 16:30 local time, a Welch MURPHY REBEL registered N8160X was involved in an accident near Saint Johns, Michigan, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 October 1999 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Saint Johns, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Schiffer Acres Airport (3S5)

Coordinates

43.0000, -84.5510

Aircraft

Welch MURPHY REBEL

Registration

N8160X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Saint Johns → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI00LA015

1 person was seriously injured.

the pilot not maintaining altitude and clearance. Factors were the trees, the flap control not fully engaged, and the pilot's lack of total experience in the kind of airplane flown.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he attempted a 3-point landing with 30 degrees of flaps. He said a gust of wind blew him up about 10 feet and another gust turned him 90 degrees to the left. He said that he started a go around with the airplane with flaps at 30 degrees. He reduced the airplane's flaps to 10 degrees. He stated the flap lever released from the 10-degree setting and that he must not have set the flap lever all the way down in its notch. The pilot said the plane sunk about 5 feet and the airplane's tail hit the top of the trees first. The pilot listed 4.4 hours of total flight time in this make and model airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.