Amateur-built RAVEN accident near Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, May 5, 2018
On May 5, 2018 at about 2:02 pm local time, a 2012 amateur-built RAVEN, registered CFNKZ, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Sault Ste Marie, Michigan (Sault Ste Marie Muni/Sanderson airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during takeoff in gusty crosswind conditions, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2018 · about 2:02 pm local time
- Place
- Sault Ste Marie, Michigan · Sault Ste Marie Muni/Sanderson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RAVEN, built 2012
- Registration
- CFNKZ · no longer on the register · serial 12351
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot and pilot-rated passenger were departing on a local flight in the experimental, amateur-built airplane in gusting crosswind conditions. Witnesses saw the airplane take off and enter a nose-high attitude. About 100 ft above ground level, the airplane began turning right and transitioned to a nose-low spin until ground impact. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane was not equipped with any stall warning devices. The witness reports and damage to the airplane were consistent with the pilot failing to maintain sufficient airspeed during a steep takeoff climb, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall. A flight instructor at the airport reported that, when departing the accident runway with westerly winds present, he would often notice turbulence and swirling air. He attributed this effect to the tall trees located about 100 yards west of the runway. Although autopsies revealed that both pilots were at risk for a sudden cardiac event, the circumstances of the accident are consistent with a loss of control rather than a sudden incapacitation, and it is unlikely that either pilot's cardiac condition contributed to the accident.
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 takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 505 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 455 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 61 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Honda 3.5 Litre (piston); 61 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ANJ Sault Ste Marie MI at 2:02 pm
- Destination: ANJ Sault Ste Marie MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 5,234 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 11 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from KANJ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on May 21, 2019. 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 | Interview with Flight Instructor | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Interviews with Pilot's Wife and Passenger's Son | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Toxicology Report - Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Toxicology Report - Pilot-rated Passenger | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | NTSB Data - Fatal Loss of Control Accidents | PDF, 1 page | 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.