Aviat A-1 accident near Watervliet, Michigan, July 6, 2006
On July 6, 2006 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Aviat A-1, registered N70HU, was substantially damaged in an accident near Watervliet, Michigan (Private airport). 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 presence of the deer on the runway which resulted in the pilot taking evasive action leading to the nose-over. A factor was the excessive braking by the pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 6, 2006 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Watervliet, Michigan · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aviat A-1
- Registration
- N70HU · registry record · serial 1322
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was damaged when it nosed over during landing on a private grass airstrip. In a telephone conversation, the pilot said that he was landing at the private strip to give a ride to a person. He stated that he performed a flyby of the airstrip to check the condition of the strip and then entered a normal traffic pattern. He stated that he touched down "very early on the runway" and while rolling out, a deer came onto the runway from an adjacent field. He stated that he applied the brakes when he saw the deer and the airplane flipped over onto its back. He stated that there were no problems with the airplane. He estimated that the runway was 800 feet long and 75 feet wide.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 850 hours in all; 25 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C91 Dowagiac MI
- Destination: Watervliet MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09
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.