Extra EA300 N32WR
29 July 2018 · North Fox Island, Michigan, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 29 July 2018 at about 18:35 local time, a Extra EA300 registered N32WR was involved in an accident near North Fox Island, Michigan, United States. 5 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:35
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- North Fox Island, Michigan, United States
- Nearest airport
- North Fox Island (6Y3)
- Coordinates
- 45.4822, -85.7808
- Aircraft
- Extra EA300
- Registration
- N32WR
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2014
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Appleton → North Fox Island
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN18LA298
People
3 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
Probable cause
The Extra pilot’s failure to see and avoid the Cessna, which resulted in an in-flight collision. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the Extra pilot to tune his radio to the correct frequency, which resulted in no common traffic advisories being heard or recognized as relevant by either pilot.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
An airline transport pilot in an aerobatic low-wing airplane, an Extra 300, with a passenger on board was landing while an airline transport pilot in a high-wing airplane, a Cessna 172, near maximum weight with two passengers on board was conducting a short/soft-field takeoff from an nontowered, island-based runway surrounded by tall trees. The Extra pilot and passenger reported that the pilot's landing intention was communicated on the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) with no replies. They saw an airplane at the opposite end of the airstrip, and the pilot decided to land. The Cessna pilot reported that he monitored the CTAF and then taxied down the center of the runway; he heard a radio call on the frequency from an airport on a nearby island. The Cessna pilot made his departure radio call on the CTAF in the blind and conducted a rolling departure with as much runway ahead as possible; he did not hear or see any other airplanes. The Cessna lifted off about 5 to 7 ft above ground level and accelerated to best angle of climb speed plus 10 knots. The Extra pilot indicated that he did not see any aircraft while he was on final approach to landing until his airplane was about 20-30 ft above the landing surface just before the threshold when he saw a bright object out the right side just in front of the wing. The Extra and the Cessna then collided. The CTAF frequency at the accident airport is not recorded. However, a witness monitoring another CTAF frequency on a nearby island overheard the pilot of an airplane calling intention to land and remarked to a customer that the call was on the wrong frequency. It is likely that the Extra pilot was transmitting on the CTAF frequency for the airport on a nearby island; the Cessna pilot likely heard this transmission but attributed it to a pilot landing at the other airport. The airport leaseholder's website contained a link to pilot information, which included a safety briefing for the airport. The briefing recommended that the airport's CTAF, as well as another local airport's CTAF, be monitored. In addition, the briefing recommended that arriving aircraft fly over the airfield and scan for aircraft on the ground using a left traffic pattern. The briefing advised that the airport is in the Unimproved Airport Category and that pilots "land at your own risk." The Extra pilot's use of an incorrect CTAF precluded him from hearing the Cessna pilot's transmission of his intent to depart. In addition, trees surrounding the runway precluded the Extra pilot from seeing the Cessna's departure until it was too late to take evasive action.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra EA300 LC | N32WR | - | Substantial |
| Cessna 172 UNDESIGNAT | N6021A | - | Substantial |
Other Extra EA300 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Aug 2019 | Extra EA300 | Mesa, Arizona, United States | Aviation Performance Solutions, LLC | No injuries | - |
| 25 Nov 2022 | Extra EA300 | Wonder Lake, Illinois, United States | Dog House Aviation LLC | Fatal | 1 |
| 13 Sep 2023 | Extra EA300 | Graz, Austria | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 May 2018 | Hughes Aero PREDATOR "C" | Copemish, Michigan, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Jul 2018 | Best Off SKYRANGER | Houghton Lake, Michigan, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 29 Dec 2018 | Cessna R172K | Chesaning, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 31 Dec 2018 | Piper PA 23 | Beaver Island, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Jul 2018 | Aeros VENTURE 2000 | Bad Axe, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 27 Apr 2018 | Wolfe KITFOX V | Kalkaska, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |