Circle T Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Grantsburg, Wisconsin 54840
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 14:00 CDT

NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident

The accident flight was the pilot’s first flight in the amateur-built, experimental airplane he had purchased about 7 months prior to the accident. A witness reported that the pilot was taxiing up and down the runway while revving the engine. The witness stated that the engine was missing on at least one cylinder during takeoff. He stated that the airplane climbed and made a left turn directly over his house, clearing it by about 80 feet. While in the turn, the wings dipped to the right, and then the wings dipped to the left “real hard.” The airplane rolled inverted and went down nose first. A Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness inspector examined the wreckage at the accident site. The inspection of the airplane revealed flight control continuity.The engine was a Continental O-200 series engine, but the engine data plate was missing so the exact model and serial number could not be identified. The mechanical and electrical engine controls were present. The magneto P-lead wires were still attached to the ignition switch and magnetos. There was oil in the engine and the crankshaft could rotate but not “very far.” The pilot had a history of depression, anxiety, and sleep apnea, and had been prescribed multiple medications for the conditions. The level of a prescription antidepressant found on post-accident toxicology was more than 10 times higher than expected given the pilot's prescription for the medication. He had broken his left ankle, and had surgical screws placed for the non-healing fracture a week prior to the accident. He had recently taken narcotic and over-the-counter pain medications. The pilot had not reported any of his chronic health problems to the FAA, and it is unlikely that the FAA would have approved medical certification for him had complete information been provided.

NTSB Probable Cause Narrative

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during initial climb which resulted in a stall/spin. Contributing to the accident was the degraded engine performance.

Event Information

Type of Event Accident
Event Date 4/22/2009
Event Day of the Week Wednesday
Time of Event 1400
Event Time Zone Central Daylight Time
Event City Grantsburg
Event State WISCONSIN
Event Country --
Zipcode of the event site 54840
Event Date Year 2009
Event Date Month 4
MidAir Collision Indicator No
On Ground Collision occurred ? No
Event Location Latitude 454102N
Event Location Longitude 0924113W
Event Location Airport Circle T Airport
Event Location Nearest Airport ID WS77
Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport Off Airport/Airstrip
Distance from airport in statute miles --
Degrees magnetic from airport --
Airport Elevation 895
Weather Briefing Completeness --
Investigator's weather source Weather Observation Facility
Time of the weather observation 1352 Central Daylight Time
Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) 20
Weather Observation Facility ID MSP
Elevation of weather observation facility 841
Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) 60
Time Zone of the weather observation CDT
Lighting Conditions Day
Lowest Ceiling Height 2600
Lowest Non-Ceiling Height --
Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions --
Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling Overcast
Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) --
Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) --
Visibility (Statute Miles) 10
Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) 14
Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) -8
Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) 290
Variable Wind Indicator Wind direction could be determined
Wind Speed (knots) 7
Wind Velocity Indicator --
Wind Gust Indicator Not Gusting
Wind Gust (knots) --
Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) 29.91
Density Altitude (feet) --
Intensity of Precipitation --
METAR weather report --
Event Highest Injury Fatal
On Ground, Fatal Injuries --
On Ground, Minor Injuries --
On Ground, Serious Injuries --
Injury Total Fatal 1
Injury Total Minor --
Injury Total None --
Injury Total Serious --
Injury Total All 1
Investigating Agency NTSB
NTSB Docket Number (internal use) 26413
NTSB Notification Source FAA-ROC-AGL
NTSB Notification Date --
NTSB Notification Time --
Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information --
Date of most recent change to record Mar 9 2010 2:18PM
User who most recently changed record johb
Basic weather conditions Visual Meteorological Cond
FAA District Office --

Aircraft Involved

Aircraft #1

Aircraft Registration Number N232PE
NTSB Number CEN09LA263
Missing Aircraft Indicator --
Federal Aviation Reg. Part Part 91: General Aviation
Type of Flight Plan filed None
Flight plan Was Activated? No
Damage Destroyed
Aircraft Fire Ground
Aircraft Explosion None
Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name Laseure
Aircraft Model Sonerai II
Aircraft Series Identifier --
Aircraft Serial Number 406
Certified Max Gross Weight 1150
Aircraft Category Airplane
Aircraft Registration Class --
Aircraft is a homebuilt? Yes
Flight Crew Seats --
Cabin Crew Seats --
Passenger Seats --
Total number of seats on the aircraft 1
Number of Engines 1
Fixed gear or retractable gear Fixed
Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection --
Date of Last Inspection --
Airframe hours since last inspection --
Airframe Hours --
ELT Installed Unknown
ELT Activated Unknown
ELT Aided Location of Event Site Unknown
ELT Type Unknown
Aircraft Owner Name Michael Shute
Aircraft Owner Street Address 21118 East River rd.
Aircraft Owner City Grantsburg
Aircraft Owner State WI
Aircraft Owner Country USA
Aircraft Owner Zipcode 54840
Operator is an individual? No
Operator Name Michael Shute
Operator Same as Owner? Yes
Operator Is Doing Business As --
Operator Address Same as Owner? Yes
Operator Street Address --
Operator City --
Operator State --
Operator Country USA
Operator Zip code --
Operator Code --
Owner has at least one certificate None
Other Operator of large aircraft? No
Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation --
Operator Certificate Number --
Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not --
Indicates Domestic or International Flight --
Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail --
Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) Personal
Second Pilot on Board No
Departure Point Same as Event Yes
Departure Airport Code WS77
Departure City Grantsburg
Departure State WI
Departure Country USA
Departure Time 1400
Departure Time Zone CDT
Destination Same as Local Flt dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere
Destination Airport Code WS77
Destination City Grantsburg
Destination State WI
Destination Country USA
Specific Phase of Flight --
Report sent to ICAO? --
Evacuation occurred --
Date of most recent change to record Nov 23 2009 11:55AM
User who most recently changed record silj
Since inspection or accident --
Event Location Runway Number and Location 27
Runway Length 2115
Runway Width 96
Sight Seeing flight No
Air Medical Flight No
Medical Flight --