Rockwell International 114 incident near Lapeer, Michigan, May 21, 2013
On May 21, 2013 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Rockwell International 114, registered N5832N, suffered minor damage in an incident during landing near Lapeer, Michigan (Dupont-Lapeer airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The malfunction of the pilot’s seat-latching mechanism due to a bent rod, which allowed the seat to come loose and slide full aft and resulted in a temporary loss of airplane control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 2013 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lapeer, Michigan · Dupont-Lapeer · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rockwell International 114 · all 114s on the register
- Registration
- N5832N · registry record · serial 14381
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a postmaintenance test flight with the owner acting as copilot. During the landing roll, the pilot's seat came loose and slid full aft. The right wing came up while the pilot's hand was still on the flight controls. He instructed the copilot to take the controls and keep the airplane on the runway. The left wingtip and aileron sustained minor damage during the incident sequence; however, the damage was not discovered until 3 weeks after the incident. An examination of the seat-latching mechanism revealed that the metal rod that locked the seat in place was bent. When aft pressure was applied to the seat, the bent rod released from the latch hole in the seat track, which allowed the seat to slide.
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
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Maintenance/inspections › (general) › Inadequate inspection
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Seat/cargo attach fitting › Not inspected
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Seat/cargo attach fitting › Malfunction
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,940 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 3,783 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 9, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,842 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 21, 2012; 50 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming I0-540 (piston); 206 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: D95 Lapeer MI
- Destination: D95 Lapeer MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,800 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,500 ft; scat at 9,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.75 inHg
- Observation at 6:14 pm from D95
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN13IA355.