Amateur-built WITTMAN WT-8 accident near Plymouth, Michigan, December 16, 1995
On December 16, 1995 at about 3:38 pm local time, a amateur-built WITTMAN WT-8, registered N88TK, was destroyed in an accident near Plymouth, Michigan (Canton-Plymouth Mettetal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a stuck exhaust valve resulting in an overtemperature condition of the cylinder, the pilot's continued operation without corrective maintenance, and his failure to maintain aircraft control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 16, 1995 · about 3:38 pm local time
- Place
- Plymouth, Michigan · Canton-Plymouth Mettetal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built WITTMAN WT-8 WITTMAN WT
- Registration
- N88TK · no longer on the register · serial MSB-1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that when he started the engine he had a hard time keeping the engine running at idle. After takeoff, at about 300 feet, he noticed the cylinder head temperature was in the red zone. The pilot retarded the throttle and a total power loss occurred. During descent he lost control of the airplane and it collided with two trailers and two boats. Postcrash examination revealed that an exhaust valve on the #1 cylinder was stuck open, and that compression in the #3 cylinder was weak. The pilot stated that he had hot cylinder head temperatures before, and that pulling back on the throttle had worked previously.
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: 230 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 167 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 25 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, December 1, 1994; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-12F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 1D2
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 6,914 ft by 160 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from YIP, 1 miles away
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.