Maule M-5-210C accident near Ironwood, Michigan, April 23, 2003
On April 23, 2003 at about 7:08 pm local time, a Maule M-5-210C, registered N9014A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ironwood, Michigan (Gogebic - Iron County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent ground loop on landing. A contributing factor was the ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 23, 2003 · about 7:08 pm local time
- Place
- Ironwood, Michigan · Gogebic - Iron County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-5-210C · all M-5-210Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9014A · no longer on the register · serial 6107C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane ground looped during landing, veered off the runway, and impacted a ditch about 100 yards south of the runway. The pilot stated that in an attempt to recover from the ground loop, he applied full power when he was approaching the edge of the runway but did not have enough airspeed to takeoff. He stated that there was a tail wheel shimmy when he touched down. Inspection of the airplane's tailwheel and flight control system revealed no anomalies.
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
- Flight time: 643 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 562 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 2, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,596 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 18, 2002; 7.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-D33B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LNL Land O Lakes WI at 6:20 pm
- Destination: IWD Ironwood MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 6,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 7:15 pm from IWD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.