Dassault DA-900B accident near Holland, Michigan, October 9, 1999
On October 9, 1999 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Dassault DA-900B, registered N523AC, suffered minor damage in an accident near Holland, Michigan. It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 4 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The copilot's improper use of the autopilot system while leveling the flight from descent, resulting in an inadvertent pilot-induced pitch oscillation of the airplane. A factor was the flight attendant not wearing a seat belt at the time of the occurrence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 1999 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Holland, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 4 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dassault DA-900B
- Registration
- N523AC · registry record · serial 139
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight experienced a series of pitch oscillations while on descent to an assigned altitude of 11,000 feet mean sea level(msl). The flight attendant was seriously injured. The Captain reported that when he was at about 11,400 feet msl, it appeared the airplane was going to descend below the assigned altitude. The First Officer, who was the flying pilot in the left seat, reported that he pulled back on the airplane's yoke to initiate the level off without disengaging the autopilot. He reported that when he relaxed the back pressure on the yoke, the airplane pitched nose down violently and a series of three to four pitch oscillations occurred before the airplane was brought under control. The aircraft load factors reached magnitudes between +3.3g and -1.2 g. The flight attendant was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the incident. The inspection of the airplane revealed no pre-existing anomalies. Neither the autopilot's pilot manual nor the airplane's flight manual contained a Warning, Caution, or Note that explicitly stated not to manually override the autopilot. On October 18, 1999, Falcon Aviation issued Newsflash 52 that notified operators not to manually apply control yoke forces in an attempt to control the aircraft when the autopilot is engaged.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,423 hours in all; 191 in this make and model; 58 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 7,722 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,701 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 30, 1999; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 46,500 lb
- Seats: 15
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TFE-731-5BR (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PDX Portland OR at 4:00 pm
- Destination: GRR Grand Rapids MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from BIV, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 2 | ||
| Passengers | 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.
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.