Mills Michael S1L N197X

Summary

On 22 March 2018 at about 22:30 local time, a Mills Michael S1L registered N197X was involved in an accident near Dewitt, Michigan, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 March 2018 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Dewitt, Michigan, United States

Coordinates

42.8872, -84.7200

Aircraft

Mills Michael S1L

Registration

N197X

Category

Airplane

Year built

2015

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dewitt → Dewitt

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA123

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to see and avoid power lines due to sun glare.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was attempting to land on an airstrip on his property, but on short final, the airplane struck power lines and then descended and impacted terrain. Examination of the airframe, engine, and related systems revealed no evidence of any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Before the accident flight, the pilot told a friend that he needed to return home before a certain time or there would be a problem with sun glare during landing. The pilot was approaching his airstrip on a westerly heading. The position of the sun was 14° above the horizon and about 20° left of the pilot's vision. The position of the sun likely hampered the pilot's ability to see the power lines, which resulted in his failure to avoid them.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.