Howard Aircraft Corp. DGA-15P accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, December 1, 1999
On December 1, 1999 at about 3:55 pm local time, a Howard Aircraft Corp. DGA-15P, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N35RH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Daytona Beach, Florida (Spruce Creek 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 maintain directional control during an attempted go-around, and the subsequent wing tip strike of the ground and collision with a tree. A factor in the loss of control was the crosswind conditions present during the landing attempt.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 1, 1999 · about 3:55 pm local time
- Place
- Daytona Beach, Florida · Spruce Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Howard Aircraft Corp. DGA-15P, amateur-built
- Registration
- N35RH · registry record · serial 760
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane's new owner was familiarizing himself with the landing characteristics of the 1943 Howard DGA-1 in crosswind conditions, with the seller aboard, when he attempted a go-around following a bounced landing that resulted in a loss of control, a skid off the left runway edge, a left wingtip strike of the ground, and collision with a tree.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 595 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 401 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,700 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 2, 1999; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W 985-AN12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X47 Bunnell FL at 3:35 pm
- Destination: 7FL6
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 15 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from DAB, 7 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.