Amateur-built Acro Sport 1 accident near Fowlerville, Michigan, October 11, 2010
On October 11, 2010 at about 7:16 pm local time, a amateur-built Acro Sport 1, registered N53DB, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Fowlerville, Michigan (Maple Grove airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of control during a go-around maneuver following a bounced landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's limited experience in the make and model airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 2010 · about 7:16 pm local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Fowlerville, Michigan · Maple Grove · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Acro Sport 1
- Registration
- N53DB · registry record · serial 90401
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness reported that during landing the airplane touched down hard and bounced. He heard the sound of the engine increase, but not to a level consistent with takeoff power. He noted that the nose of the airplane was high. The airplane appeared to become unsteady and turned to the left, low over the trees. He commented that the airplane was rolling as he lost sight of it. He then heard the sound of the crash. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. The pilot had logged 3 flights in the amateur-built airplane prior to the accident flight, with a total of 3 landings.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR go-around)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience w/ equipment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 696 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 25, 2010
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 9, 2010; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,350 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 65G Fowlerville MI
- Destination: 65G Fowlerville MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,050 ft by 110 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 7:35 pm from OZW, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on April 4, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Witness Statements | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Conversation Record -- FAA Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Engine Examination Record | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Aircraft Logbook | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Pilot Logbook | PDF, 14 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N53DB on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD 83 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Maple Grove Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Michigan 2,107 since 1982 · 230 in the last ten years
- Michigan 7,225 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN11LA014.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.