Steven Stam, center, the pilot of a plane that crashed at Park Township Airport, talks with an Ottawa County Sheriff's deputy and the airport manager.
HOLLAND, Mich. (AP) — A retired pastor from Michigan has told his wife that he is giving up piloting after surviving his third plane crash.
According to a report recently released from the National Transportation Safety Board, 67-year-old Steven Stam’s single-engine plane ended up crashing on Sept. 11, 2015, on Interstate 80 near Laramie, Wyoming. Stam stopped just short of colliding with a canyon wall.
Stam has survived two crashes prior to this incident. In 2009, he crashed at Park Township Airport. And in July 2015, Stam landed his plane on a Lake Michigan beach in Ottawa County Township.
The pilot of 22 years told The Detroit News Friday that he broke his back in the latest crash and informed his wife that he’d be giving up flying.
Original article can be found here: http://wncn.com
The scene of a Sept. 11 crash near Laramie, Wyoming14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, September 11, 2015 in Laramie, WY
Probable Cause Approval Date: 02/17/2016
Aircraft: ALON A2, registration: N6359V
Injuries: 1 Serious.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The private pilot reported that, after departing and then making a slow circling climb to about 9,500 ft mean sea level (msl), the airplane was unable to climb any higher and was occasionally descending. The pilot began to fly on course toward higher terrain, and the engine suddenly began to lose power. The pilot applied carburetor heat, but engine power was not restored. The airspeed then slowed, and the airplane descended. The airplane impacted the concrete median barrier on the highway in a narrow mountain pass at an estimated terrain elevation of 7,980 ft msl and then came to rest upright. There was a fuel spill at the scene but no postimpact fire, and the injured pilot was able to exit the airplane without assistance. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine found no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the airplane had been recently fitted with a 4-point inertial reel shoulder harness system and that it is likely that his use of that shoulder harness system prevented him from sustaining a more serious injury. The weather conditions about the time of the accident were conducive to the accumulation of serious carburetor icing at all power settings. Federal Aviation Administration guidance states that, when conditions are conductive to carburetor icing, the pilot should immediately apply carburetor heat and that the heat should be left on until the pilot is certain that all of the ice has been removed. It is likely that the engine began to lose power due to carburetor ice and that the timely application of carburetor heat would have restored engine power.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot’s failure to use carburetor heat in cruise flight while operating in an area conducive to serious carburetor icing, which resulted in a loss of engine power and an off-airport landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to continue flight toward rising mountainous terrain when the airplane could not maintain altitude.
This photo provided by the Wyoming Department of Transportation shows a single-engine plane on the shoulder of Interstate 80 after the pilot crash-landed just east of Laramie, Wyo., Friday, Sept. 11, 2015. The Wyoming Highway Patrol said Steven Stam, 67, of Holland Mich., was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after putting his single-engine plane down on the highway.
On September 11, 2015, about 0740 mountain daylight time, an Alon A2 Aircoupe, single-engine airplane, N6359V, impacted terrain during climb to cruise near Laramie, Wyoming. The pilot was seriously injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual, as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the accident site and a flight plan had not been filed. The airplane departed Laramie Regional Airport (LAR), Laramie, Wyoming, about 0720 and was destined for North Platte Regional Airport (LBF), North Platte, Nebraska.
The pilot reported that after departing LAR he had circled near the airport to slowly climb to about 9,500 feet above mean sea level (msl). On reaching 9,500 ft. the airplane would not climb any higher and was occasionally descending. The pilot began to fly on course toward higher terrain when the engine suddenly began to lose power. The pilot applied carburetor heat, which had no effect. The airspeed slowed and the airplane descended. The pilot attempted to force land the airplane on a highway and reported that he lost sight of the highway just before impact. The airplane, traveling eastbound, impacted the concrete median barrier on the interstate highway in a narrow mountain pass at an estimated terrain elevation of 7,980 feet msl and came to rest upright on the shoulder of the westbound lane of traffic. Witnesses saw the crash and immediately called 9-1-1. There was a fuel spill at the scene, but no postimpact fire, and the injured pilot was able to exit the airplane without assistance. The pilot noted that the airplane had been recently fitted with a 4-point inertial reel shoulder harness system and he was certain that that shoulder harness system saved him from a much more serious injury.
A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine found no preimpact anomalies which would have prevented normal operation.
The nearest aviation weather reporting station was located at LAR, about 10 miles west from the accident site. At 0753, the LAR automated surface observing system reported the following weather conditions: wind 180 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear of clouds, temperature 8 degrees Celsius (C), dew point 6 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 30.39 inches of Mercury. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that, at the accident location, at 0750, the altitude of the sun was about 13 degrees above the horizon and the azimuth of the sun was about 095 degrees. Apparent sunrise occurred at 0638.
The carburetor icing probability chart from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB): CE-09-35 Carburetor Icing Prevention, June 30, 2009, shows a probability of serious icing at all power settings at the temperature and dew point reported at the time of the accident.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The FAA Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge states that when conditions are conductive to carburetor icing that carburetor heat should be applied immediately and should be left on until the pilot is certain all the ice has been removed. Additionally, if ice is present the application of partial carburetor heat or leaving heat on for an insufficient time might aggravate the situation.
The 1977 Grumman American Lynx that crashed in Park Township.
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, September 02, 2009 in Holland, MI
Probable Cause Approval Date: 12/15/2009
Aircraft: GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. AA-1C, registration: N9649U
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
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 stated that he touched down a little early on the 2,998-foot-long runway, and the airplane began to porpoise. He stated that he attempted a go-around but had insufficient airspeed to maintain control of the airplane. The airplane veered to the left of the runway where it settled into an area of trees and brush.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during the landing and subsequent go-around.
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