Amateur-built NIEUPORT 12 accident near Byron, Michigan, June 29, 1997
On June 29, 1997 at about 7:36 pm local time, a amateur-built NIEUPORT 12, registered N169RD, was destroyed in an accident near Byron, Michigan. It was a personal flight 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
The owner/pilot mechanic's inadequate inspection of the aircraft which led to contamination (other than water) of the fuel filter.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 29, 1997 · about 7:36 pm local time
- Place
- Byron, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built NIEUPORT 12 NIEUPORT 1
- Registration
- N169RD · no longer on the register · serial 005
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that the accident flight was the first flight following repairs made to the engine. He indicated that while preparing the airplane for the flight, several 'mud-wasp' nests were found and removed. He said that during the initial climb the engine began to lose power. The airplane was able to clear trees 300' beyond the end of the runway; however then encountered a stall/spin into trees and the terrain. Contamination was found in the left fuel filter which the pilot indicated in all likelihood came from an insect nest which was not cleared from the fuel line after the repairs.
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: 223 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 144 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 95 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 29, 1997; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Chevrolet 6-164 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 7:36 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:30 pm from KFN, 15 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.