Amateur-built MARK III accident near Plymouth, Minnesota, July 21, 1999
On July 21, 1999 at about 6:34 pm local time, a amateur-built MARK III, registered N93JL, was destroyed in an accident near Plymouth, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the airplane's rudder control pulley due to corrosion and inadequate maintenance inspection of the airplane by the owner/pilot mechanic of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 1999 · about 6:34 pm local time
- Place
- Plymouth, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MARK III
- Registration
- N93JL · registry record
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported the experimental amphibian airplane climbed to about 200 feet above the lake when it lost all rudder control. A witness said the airplane was '...tilting...' its wings and then impacted the water nose first. The pilot said that after the airplane lost its rudder control he tried to turn it away from a beach populated with swimmers and sunbathers. The on-scene investigation revealed the airplane impacted the water outside the swimming area. The investigation revealed that the airplane's right rudder control cable phenolic pulley had split in half. The pulley is located under a shroud below the right rudder pedal. Its shaft was corroded and the pulley would not rotate on it. The slackened rudder cable prevented the rudder from functioning.
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
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 3,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 31, 1999; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI99LA261.