Earthstar Aircraft Gull 2000 accident near Curtiss, Wisconsin, June 30, 2021
On June 30, 2021 at about 9:50 am local time, a 2002 Earthstar Aircraft Gull 2000, registered N1712L, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Curtiss, Wisconsin (Private airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The non-instrument-rated pilot’s decision to depart into instrument meteorological conditions with dense fog and low clouds, which resulted in spatial disorientation and a loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s self-imposed pressure to depart on the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2021 · about 9:50 am local time
- Place
- Curtiss, Wisconsin · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Earthstar Aircraft Gull 2000, built 2002
- Registration
- N1712L · no longer on the register · serial 007
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, who was not instrument rated, was departing on an early morning crosscountry flight. The airplane descended into trees and terrain near the departure airstrip. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the empennage, and the fuselage. Postaccident examination revealed no evidence of a preexisting mechanical malfunction or failure that would have prevented normal operation of the airplane. Based on witness accounts and reviewed weather data, instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) with dense fog and low clouds existed at the accident time. The airplane was not equipped for flight in IMC. The accident occurred about 8 minutes after civil twilight began and about 29 minutes before the official sunrise; it likely was still substantially dark as the flight departed toward the west and away from the rising sun. It is likely the pilot had self-imposed pressure to depart on the round-trip flight in the early morning hours so he could return for work. Additionally, he likely became spatially disorientated shortly after takeoff when the airplane entered IMC, which resulted in his loss of airplane control and the unintentional descent into trees and terrain. Toxicology testing detected low levels of ethanol in the pilot’s specimens; however, the identified ethanol was likely from a source other than ingestion and was not a factor in 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
- VFR encounter with IMC during takeoff defining event
- Loss of visual reference during takeoff
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Below VFR minima › Effect on operation
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Personality/attitude › Motivation/respond to pressure › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 158 hours in all; 7.7 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 108.3 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 14, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 68.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 10, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 550 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Hks 700E (piston); 69 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Curtiss WI at 9:50 am
- Destination: RNH New Richmond WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,275 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 am from MDZ, 10 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KMDZ 300935Z AUTO 00000KT 1/2SM FG VV005 14/14 A3010 RMK AO2 T01380138=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on August 30, 2023. 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 | Record of Conversation (John O Forde) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Clark County Sheriff Office Report (Excerpts) | PDF, 15 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for the Record (No radar or ADS-B Track Data for the Accident Flight) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Airmen Registry Data (Lamar Martin Leinbach) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Pilot Logbook | PDF, 34 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Airplane Logbook | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Meteorology Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 13 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Wreckage Examination Summary | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Autopsy Report Summary | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 10 | FAA Toxicology Report | 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.