CHI99LA113
1999-03-20 · LAPEER, Michigan, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Airport D95
N918V has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (SHIPLER SKYBOLT, built 1978), which was not involved in this event.
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The failure of the pilot to maintain compensation for wind conditions. Factors to the accident were the crosswind condition and the presence of trees along the runway.
Factual narrative
On March 20, 1999, at 1330 eastern standard time (est), an amateur-built Delong, Glastar GS-1, N918V, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain during landing on runway 27 (1900 feet by 150 feet, dry turf) at the Dupont-Lapeer Airport, Lapeer, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries to himself and his one passenger. The flight originated at the Dupont-Lapeer Airport for a local flight at 1100 est. According to the pilot's written statement, the pilot "experienced [wind] shear on short final to runway 27..." A weather report for a reporting station located 21 nautical miles and 253 degrees from the accident site reported winds from 200 degrees at 11 knots. According to the 1999 Michigan Airport Directory, the runway that was used has several groupings of trees along both sides of the runway. Post accident investigation revealed damage to the right wing, propeller, nose landing gear, and fuselage substructure. Further examination revealed no pre-existing anomalies. According to the pilot's written statement, the pilot 'experienced [wind] shear on short final to runway 27...' A weather report for a reporting station located 21 nautical miles and 253 degrees from the accident site reported winds from 200 degrees at 11 knots. According to the 1999 Michigan Airport Directory, the runway that was used has several groupings of trees along both sides of the runway. Post accident investigation revealed damage to the right wing, propeller, nose landing gear, and fuselage substructure. Further examination revealed no pre-existing anomalies. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1999_CHI99LA113.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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