Amateur-built GP-4 accident near Mount Pleasant, Michigan, May 5, 2002
On May 5, 2002 at about 6:40 pm local time, a amateur-built GP-4, registered N59JY, was destroyed in an accident near Mount Pleasant, Michigan (Jack Barstow airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 inadvertent stall/spin by the pilot-in-command.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2002 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Mount Pleasant, Michigan · Jack Barstow
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built GP-4
- Registration
- N59JY · no longer on the register · serial 158
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The amateur built experimental airplane was destroyed on impact with terrain after being seen spinning in a level attitude at tree top level. Damage to the airplane and ground scarring was consistent with a spin. There are no spin requirements for amateur built experimental airplanes. The airplane was built by the private pilot seated in the right seat of the airplane. The left seat was occupied by a private pilot whose medical certificate was expired. Modifications to the airplane's fuel system and engine were made contrary to the airplane's originally intended design. Engine and flight control continuity was confirmed.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: instrument airplane
- Flight time: 1,925 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
The flight
- Departed from: 3BS Midland MI
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from MBS, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.