14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, May 13, 2012 in Au Gres, MI
Probable Cause Approval Date: 08/15/2012
Aircraft: BECKERT BRUCE A RV-6, registration: N212LB
Injuries: 1 Serious.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot contacted his friend and told him to be at the beach and watch for the airplane. The friend reported that he saw the airplane make about three passes up and down the beach. On the third pass, the airplane made a steep left turn, which the friend believed resulted in a stall. The pilot reported that, as he arrived at the peninsula, he proceeded across the shoreline, crossed the beach, and dropped to an altitude of about 100 feet above ground level. He made a right turn, and then, after passing the bridge, he made a tight left turn and “felt a bump/drop, as if my left wing lost lift.” He leveled off, slightly nose high, and headed in an east to southeast direction. The pilot could not recall any further details of the accident. The airplane impacted just offshore in about 5 feet of water, and the forward fuselage sustained substantial damage. The airplane’s sudden wing drop is consistent with an aerodynamic stall.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:The pilot’s low altitude maneuvering, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and subsequent impact with the water.
The pilot contacted his friend and told him to be at the beach and watch for the airplane. The friend reported that he saw the airplane make about three passes up-and-down the beach. On the third pass he said the airplane made a steep left turn, which he believed resulted in a stall. The airplane impacted the water, just offshore. Several other witnesses responded and aided in removing the pilot from the airplane and water. The airplane’s forward fuselage was heavily damaged during the impact and came to rest in about 5 feet of water. The pilot reported that as he arrived at the peninsula, he proceeded across the shoreline and then crossed the beach; he dropped to an altitude of approximately 100 feet. He added that he made a right turn, then after passing the bridge, he made a tight left turn and “felt a bump/drop, as if my left wing lost lift”. He added that he leveled off, slightly nose high, and headed in an east, south east direction. The pilot could not recall any further details of the accident.
http://registry.faa.gov/N212LB
WHITNEY TOWNSHIP, MI — The Arenac County Undersheriff said the 41-year-old Saginaw pilot who crashed into Lake Huron Sunday was flying too low, according to The Arenac Independent.
Undersheriff Don McIntyre said it looked like a wing touched the water.
Michael Garner, a Saginaw County Sheriff's Department dive team member, was the only person in the small-engine plane that departed from James Clements Municipal Airport in Bay City on Sunday morning.
His plane crashed into Lake Huron, near The Singing Bridge, at 9:47 a.m.
He was taken to Standish Saint Mary's Hospital where he is being treated for non-life threatening injuries, according to the Arenac County Sheriff's Department.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash.
The FAA's report describes the incident as "aircraft crashed in the lake under unknown circumstances, near Au Gres, Arenac County."
The plane Garner was flying was not his, but the owner was aware that he would be flying it that morning.
The Grand Rapids Flight Standards Districts Offices were contacted regarding the aircraft.
The plane was leaking fuel in the lake. A pollution investigation team from Detroit monitored and contained the fuel leaks.
Garner is still hospitalized.
Updated, 4:16 p.m. May 14 Petty Officer Ryan McLean of the
U.S. Coast Guard said a ship was dispatched to assist with rescue
efforts, but that people on the shore had managed to get the pilot out
in time. The ship stayed on site to monitor pollution from the crash,
notably leaking fuel, McLean said.
A pollution investigation team
from Detroit was dispatched to monitor the leaked fuel and take steps
to contain it, McLean added.
Arenac County Undersheriff Don McIntyre said the crash appeared to have been caused by pilot error.
“He was flying too low,” McIntyre said. “It looks like he may have touched a wing to the water.”
The Federal Aviation Administration is looking over the investigation,
McIntyre said. He added the plane was not Garner’s, but the owner was
aware that he would be flying it recreationally that morning.
Original article as follows:
WHITNEY TWP. — A plane crash in Lake Huron 100 yards offshore of
Whitney Township Sunday morning has left the pilot hospitalized.
Michael Garner, 41, of Saginaw was flying the single-engine plane out of
James Clement Airport in Bay City when the crash occurred at about 9:47
a.m., according to a report from the Arenac County Sheriff’s
Department.
Garner was taken to St. Mary’s of Michigan Standish
Hospital for non-life threatening injuries, and there were no other
occupants in the plane. The cause of the crash is still under
investigation by the Sheriff’s Department.
Keep checking www.arenacindependent.com for updates to this story.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 212LB Make/Model: EXP Description: RV-6
Date: 05/13/2012 Time: 1347
Event Type: Incident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Unknown
LOCATION
City: AU GRES State: MI Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN THE LAKE UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, NEAR AU GRES,
ARENAC COUNTY, MI
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk: 1
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Unknown Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: GRAND RAPIDS, MI (GL09) Entry date: 05/14/2012
