Amateur-built ONE EASY accident near Battle Creek, Michigan, August 28, 2015
On August 28, 2015, a 1992 amateur-built ONE EASY, registered N227TB, was destroyed in an accident during takeoff near Battle Creek, Michigan (W K Kellogg airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of airplane control due to his diverted attention to the canopy opening in flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 2015
- Place
- Battle Creek, Michigan · W K Kellogg · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ONE EASY, built 1992
- Registration
- N227TB · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot planned to return to his home airport in a homebuilt kit airplane. A witness recorded the airplane taxi from the ramp to the taxiway, and the video showed that the right side of the canopy appeared to be bouncing open slightly as the airplane taxied. A witness reported that, during departure, the airplane rocked side-to-side, and the controller reported that the airplane did not track a straight line during the takeoff and was flying erratically once airborne. Another witness reported that the canopy was open and that the pilot was clearly visible with no glass over his head during the takeoff. An airport security video captured the airplane on the downwind leg when it made a 180-degree turn back to the departure runway, banked in excess of 90 degrees, then rapidly dropped and impacted terrain. However, the video did not provide a detailed view of the canopy. A postcrash fire erupted. The fire consumed a majority of the composite airplane; therefore, a detailed examination of the canopy hinge and locking system was not possible. However, the erratic flying and turn toward the airport just after takeoff is consistent with the pilot's loss of control while trying to make an emergency return to the airport after the canopy opened in flight.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during takeoff defining event
- Loss of control in flight during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Attention › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Doors › Passenger/crew doors › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: KBTL Battle Creek MI
- Destination: Berrien Springs MI
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 23R, 10,004 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on May 11, 2016. 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 | ATC Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statements | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Weather Reports and Records | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Video Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photos | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.