Amateur-built Supercat accident near Three Rivers, Michigan, October 9, 2018
On October 9, 2018 at about 11:04 pm local time, a 2018 amateur-built Supercat, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Three Rivers, Michigan (Three Rivers Muni Dr Haines airport). 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 pilot's failure to maintain the proper pitch attitude and adequate airspeed during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 2018 · about 11:04 pm local time
- Place
- Three Rivers, Michigan · Three Rivers Muni Dr Haines · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Supercat, built 2018
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial None
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that he had just completed constructing the unregistered experimental, amateur-built airplane, and during takeoff for the airplane's first flight from the grass airstrip, he failed to maintain the proper pitch attitude and adequate airspeed, and the airplane experienced an aerodynamic stall. The airplane struck the ground nose down just beyond the end of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the forward fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 158.1 hours in all; 0.1 in this make and model; 120.4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 0 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 650 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 447 (piston); 30 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HAI Three Rivers MI at 11:04 pm
- Destination: HAI Three Rivers MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09L, 1,000 ft by 1,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 11:17 pm from KHAI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on February 12, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Interview Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo - Airplane at Accident Site | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.