Fieseler Flugzeugbau F-156C-1 accident near Irish Hills, Michigan, September 20, 1998
On September 20, 1998 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Fieseler Flugzeugbau F-156C-1, registered N447FC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Irish Hills, Michigan. 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 selected to operate the airplane with a known deficiency. A factor in this accident was the vapor lock experienced by the engine's carburetor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 1998 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Irish Hills, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fieseler Flugzeugbau F-156C-1
- Registration
- N447FC · no longer on the register · serial 4471
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The World War II vintage airplane's engine experienced a total loss of power shortly after takeoff. During the forced landing, the airplane collided with electrical power lines and the ground. The pilot said the airplane's engine had been experiencing vapor lock problems in the past and that the engine had quit in the same manner as before. The airplane's fuel tank had leaked about 25-gallons of fuel on the ground after the accident had occurred. According to the pilot, the airplane's side cowling assemblies were taken off when the outside air temperature (OAT) exceeded 45-degrees Fahrenheit. This was supposed to eliminate the vapor lock potential. The OAT on the day of the accident was 80- degrees Fahrenheit. The airplane's side cowling had been removed before the accident flight. No other mechanical anomalies were found that would identify why the engine experienced a total loss of power.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,896 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 2,799 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 286 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1998; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,476 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Argus AS-10-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RLA Onsted MI at 2:15 pm
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from ADG, 10 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.
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.