Earthstar GULL 2000 N1712L

Summary

On 30 June 2021 at about 09:50 local time, a Earthstar GULL 2000 registered N1712L was involved in an accident near Curtiss, Wisconsin, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 June 2021 at 09:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Curtiss, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

Private (PVT)

Coordinates

44.9840, -90.4615

Aircraft

Earthstar GULL 2000

Registration

N1712L

Category

Airplane

Year built

2002

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Curtiss → New Richmond

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

CEN21FA297

1 person died.

The non-instrument-rated pilot’s decision to depart into instrument meteorological conditions with dense fog and low clouds, which resulted in spatial disorientation and a loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s self-imposed pressure to depart on the flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot, who was not instrument rated, was departing on an early morning crosscountry flight. The airplane descended into trees and terrain near the departure airstrip. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the empennage, and the fuselage. Postaccident examination revealed no evidence of a preexisting mechanical malfunction or failure that would have prevented normal operation of the airplane. Based on witness accounts and reviewed weather data, instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) with dense fog and low clouds existed at the accident time. The airplane was not equipped for flight in IMC. The accident occurred about 8 minutes after civil twilight began and about 29 minutes before the official sunrise; it likely was still substantially dark as the flight departed toward the west and away from the rising sun. It is likely the pilot had self-imposed pressure to depart on the round-trip flight in the early morning hours so he could return for work. Additionally, he likely became spatially disorientated shortly after takeoff when the airplane entered IMC, which resulted in his loss of airplane control and the unintentional descent into trees and terrain. Toxicology testing detected low levels of ethanol in the pilot’s specimens; however, the identified ethanol was likely from a source other than ingestion and was not a factor in the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.