Stinson V77 accident near Howell, Michigan, August 22, 2004
On August 22, 2004 at about 12:30 pm local time, a Stinson V77, registered N15JH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Howell, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control which resulted in a ground loop. A factor was the pilot's lack of familiarity with the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 22, 2004 · about 12:30 pm local time
- Place
- Howell, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stinson V77
- Registration
- N15JH · registry record · serial 77-452
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The tailwheel equipped airplane sustained substantial damage when it veered off runway 13. The reported wind was 200 degrees at 10 knots. The pilot reported that he entered and flew a normal traffic pattern for runway 13. He reported that he did a normal wheel landing on the centerline with the right wing down and opposite rudder to compensate for the right crosswind. When the tailwheel contacted the runway, the airplane immediately veered to the left. He applied full right rudder and right brake but the airplane veered off the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that he taxied the airplane back to the ramp. The inspection of the airplane revealed the tailwheel was free to castor, as designed. The pilot reported he had 12,113 total hours of flight time of which approximately 8,000 hours were in tailwheel equipped airplanes. He reported he had flown 3.3 hours in the Stinson V77.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,113 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 127 in the last 90 days; 57 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming R-630-13 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Yankee Air Force Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: YIP Ypsilanti MI at 12:00 pm
- Destination: OZW Howell MI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.