Amateur-built 1700R accident near Windham, New Hampshire, February 17, 2009
On February 17, 2009 at about 7:51 pm local time, a amateur-built 1700R, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Windham, New Hampshire. 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 non-certificated pilot's failure to maintain clearance from houses while flying an unregistered experimental, amateur-built airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 2009 · about 7:51 pm local time
- Place
- Windham, New Hampshire · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 1700R
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial UNKNOWN
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-certificated pilot was flying an unregistered experimental, amateur-built airplane. The husband of the pilot informed a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that his wife departed from a pond covered with ice. His wife flew around the local area, just above the trees, at 200 feet. The airplane was heading towards a housing area and pulled up just before it collided with the roof of a private residence. The airplane glanced off the roof, hit another residence, and came to rest on the ground inverted. The pilot informed her husband that the rudder on the airplane was stuck. Examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector revealed no anomalies with the airplane.
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
What happened, in order
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Qualification/certification › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Miscellaneous › Intentional act › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Flight time: 1 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 560 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 447 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Windham NH at 7:41 pm
- Destination: NONE Windham NH
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from MHT, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.