Amateur-built STARTDUSTER TOO accident near Bay City, Michigan, July 1, 1998
On July 1, 1998 at about 7:20 pm local time, a amateur-built STARTDUSTER TOO, registered N159MK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bay City, Michigan (James Clements airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to assure the tailwheel tire had adequate pressure which resulted in his inability to maintain directional control of the airplane during a landing. Factors associated with the accident were the inadequate pressure and the uneven terrain contacted by the landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 1, 1998 · about 7:20 pm local time · cases in 1998
- Place
- Bay City, Michigan · James Clements · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built STARTDUSTER TOO STARTDUSTE
- Registration
- N159MK · registry record · serial MK-2
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported the airplane swerved and skidded sideways off the runway during the landing roll. The airplane traveled onto a taxiway where it contacted a 3 to 4 inch rise between the grass and the pavement. The right main landing gear collapsed then the rise was contacted. The pilot/builder reported the loss of directional control was a result of an under inflated tailwheel. He reported it should have been inflated to 38 psi due to the extra weight of having a passenger on board.
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: 1,453 hours in all; 649 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,235 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-435 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3CM
- Destination: 3CM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 13 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from MBS, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N159MK the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N159MK on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming O-435 88 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- James Clements Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Michigan 2,107 since 1982 · 230 in the last ten years
- Michigan 7,226 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N159MK 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI98LA231.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.