Amateur-built MUSTANG II accident near Portage, Michigan, June 18, 1997
On June 18, 1997 at about 5:55 pm local time, a amateur-built MUSTANG II, registered N11WJ, was destroyed in an accident near Portage, Michigan (Austin Lakes airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
inadequate fuel system design by the owner/builder, which led to fuel starvation as the airplane was on a 'flat' approach to land. The pilot's inadequate flight planning was a factor, in that he did not fly the traffic pattern of this first test flight, in a manner that would allow for gliding to a landing, in the event of a loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 1997 · about 5:55 pm local time
- Place
- Portage, Michigan · Austin Lakes
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MUSTANG II
- Registration
- N11WJ · no longer on the register · serial WR-2
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The experimental airplane was on its first test flight. A witness said he saw the airplane on a '...flat...' approach toward the landing runway. He said he saw the wings banking left and right shortly before the airplane pitched down and collided with trees. A second witness said he saw the airplane settling '...faster than [it] should.' The investigation revealed no anomalies with the flight control system, engine or ignition system that would prevent flight. Fuel was found in the fuselage fuel tank. No fuel was observed in the undamaged engine-driven or electric fuel pumps or in the fuel line between the fuel servo and flow divider. The fuselage fuel tank vent was mounted on the bottom of the fuselage with its angled end facing aft. The fuel servo was bench flow checked and it met the manufacturer's flow specifications. The engine-driven and electric fuel pumps were hooked up in-line between the fuel strainer and engine.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, August 28, 1978; 1 hours since
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 09C
- Destination: 09C
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Observation at 6:45 pm from AZO, 4 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.