Gray RG12 C-FGEW

Summary

On 26 November 2025 at about 14:20 local time, a Gray RG12 registered C-FGEW was involved in an accident near Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

26 November 2025 at 14:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Southwest Michigan Rgnl (BEH)

Coordinates

42.1278, -86.4287

Aircraft

Gray RG12

Registration

C-FGEW

Category

Airplane

Year built

2024

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dowagiac → Bloomington

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN26LA052

2 people had minor injuries.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On November 26, 2025, at 0920 eastern standard time, a RG12 airplane, C-FGEW, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Benton Harbor, Michigan. The pilot and a passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations as a Part 91 ferry flight. The airplane was an experimental amateur-built replica of a Piper PA-12 that was being ferried by the pilot to the new airplane owner. About 10 minutes after the flight departed from Dowagiac Municipal Airport, Dowagiac, Michigan, an airframe vibration/flutter ensued. The vibration rapidly increased in severity despite changes in the airplane’s airspeed and engine power setting. During the flight, the ailerons contacted their mechanical stops, the horizontal stabilizer moved up and down vigorously, and the control stick was forced toward all corners of its travel range. The pilot decided to divert the flight to Southwest Lakes Airpark, Sawyer, Michigan, which had only one turf runway. After overflying the airstrip, the pilot decided it would be unsafe to attempt a landing due to the control issues and then flew to Southwest Michigan Regional Airport, Benton Harbor, Michigan, where he attempted a landing on runway 28 with winds from 240o at 27 knots gusting to 43 knots. The pilot stated that he was unable to obtain the latest wind information using his handheld radio because he was managing the control difficulties that were being experienced. The pilot stated that during landing, the airplane touched down on the main landing gear wheels, and he used full flight control inputs to counteract wind effects. During landing roll, the airplane veered right, the right wing contacted the runway, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer/rudder on impact with the runway surface. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right wing drag and anti-drag wires were attached but found loose. Flight control continuity was established to all the flight controls.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.