Pittsfield Township couple flew over their home moments before plane crash
Jan Haupt (left) explains to a reporter how a plane crash landed in the yard next to her home. The plane came within feet of Haupt's deck at right.
Steve Pepple | AnnArbor.com
Previous story: 2 critically injured when plane crashes in Pittsfield Township back yard
Moments before a Pittsfield Township couple's plane crashed into a back yard at 7099 Warner Road about 11:45 a.m. Friday, their next door neighbor looked up from painting a porch and waved to them as they flew over his home in their neon green home-built plane.
The married couple has lived next door to Dave Diebold for about 20 years, he said, and are fairly adventurous.
Their plane crash landed in a back yard about a quarter mile away from their home on Partridge Way due to an unknown problem.
Huron Valley Ambulance transported the victims to the hospital in critical condition.
FAA inspector Carl R. Welke looks into the cockpit of a small plane that crash landed Friday in a yard on Warner Road in Pittsfield Township, critically injuring the pilot and a passenger.
Steve Pepple | AnnArbor.com
The plane was silent, Haupt said.
Looking out from her kitchen window at the rear of the home, Haupt said the plane curled around to make a 180-degree turn and swiftly descended, landing with a "big bump and thud" on the small hill right next to her deck in her back yard.
Sliding along the grass, the two-seat lightweight kit plane came to rest in the back corner of Haupt's property.
Haupt ran out to the plane.
The male pilot was slumped over, unconscious, and had raspy breathing, Haupt said.
Next to him, his wife was trying to free herself -- her leg badly broken, Haupt said. The woman was so dazed and confused she could barely speak, Haupt said.
"I tried to calm them down, and made sure they didn't move," Haupt said, explaining she had worked for years as a medical lab technician in an emergency room.
The passenger door of the aircraft had come off in the crash, as did the wheels.
The plane is an Aeros Skyranger II, a fixed-wing experimental aircraft that was built from a kit. The manufacturer is Aeros LTD/Skyranger Aircraft Co.
The frame is covered in a synthetic fabric, said Carl Welke, an aviation safety inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration who was at the scene Friday investigating the crash.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, Welke said, and won't be released likely for two weeks.
The plane departed Friday morning from the Ann Arbor airport, said Tony Molinaro, spokesman from the FAA's Great Lakes Region in Chicago.
Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.
Comments
15crown00
Mon, May 28, 2012 : 5:57 p.m.
glad the pilot and passenger are ok.kit made planes just like kit made cars shouls be outlawes.at the very least these kit planes should follow the rules.
E. Crowe
Mon, May 28, 2012 : 3:57 a.m.
Has anyone heard about the condition of the pilot and his passenger?
bedrog
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 6:23 p.m.
Yhis story is eerily reminicent of an episode i witnessed close up in grad school 40 years ago when a flakey classmate/pilot ( with a suspended license) flew his plane low over the campus, caused some pigeons to die of fright when he flew at the dept chair' office window and then clipped his wing on the library causing his plane to cartwheel into the campus' dry reservoir and burn up--killing himself and a passenger...a fellow student. It was hard to muster the necessary condolences for this boneheaded irresponsibility at the memorial service attended by his aged parents. low flying over residential areas is wrong at all levels and speaks to flagrant lack of judgement.
jns131
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 4:53 p.m.
Why does this feel like a horror movie. House does not like being buzzed. Whack!! Got it. Glad to hear the folks were a ok.
cebdev
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 12:56 p.m.
I'm so sorry these people were hurt. Various discussions ask questions about whether this aircraft should have been flying where it was. If this plane was an ultralight (a technical distinction), and I think it was because I see no registration markings on the aircraft, then it raises some potential issues. FAR (Federal Aviation Regulations) Part 103 cover ultralight aircraft. These class of aircraft are largely unregulated but where they can legally fly is strictly regulated. FAR 103.15 states: No person may operate an ultralight vehicle over any congestedd area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons. FAR 103.17 states: No person may operate an ultralight vechicle within CLASS A, Class B, Class C or Class D airspace or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace dsignated for an airport unless that person has prior authorization from the ATC facility having jurisdiction over that airspace. Part 103.15 suggests they shouldn't have been flying over a neighborhood. Part 103.17 basically says you're not allowed to fly ultralights within 5 miles of Ann Arbor airport unless you've made prior arrangements with the tower. This plane crashed only about 3.6 miles from the center of the airport. Initial indications would suggest that the plane was being illegally flown within controlled airspace. Common pilot wisdom says don't fly so low you can't find a safe place to land if your engine quits. The details will remove need for speculation and you can (eventually) go to www.ntsb.gov and view the details of the accident investigation.
FUVM
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 2:59 p.m.
Nice job sherlock
cebdev
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 1:24 p.m.
My mistake - I just saw the registration number on the aircraft so my comments about ultralights don't apply. The only valid comment is flying high enough to find a safe place to land.
Dog Guy
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 11:41 a.m.
If Evolution wanted us to fly it would have given us wings.
AfterDark
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 5:08 p.m.
If Evolution didn't want us to fly it would have made us dumb enough to not figure out how.
Basic Bob
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 1:43 p.m.
Be patient, dog.
annarboral
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 12:40 a.m.
The Ann Arbor airport (which is totally surrounded by Pittsfield Township) should be closed and converted into a park. That way it would safely serve all the people instead of a few rich ELITES that can afford airplanes. Let them go to Willow Run before they crash into a home and kill or maime innocents.
E. Crowe
Mon, May 28, 2012 : 3:54 a.m.
You need to put the McMansion up for sale and move the Saline. They closed their little airport and the land is now a half-occupied industrial park. I remember when your house was a open meadow surrounded by splotches of trees. The day we saw the first frames rising in the field under our million dollar airplanes there were many who commented that some day Gladys Cravits and the Upright Citizens Brigade would be looking to shutter KARB. Why on earth would you buy/build around an airport?
soloaviator
Sun, May 27, 2012 : 3:06 a.m.
Gosh, at the risk of being redundant, I have to say again that you have a blind spot about who uses the airport and for what purposes. Those touch and goes are not practiced by multi-millionaire corporate owners, but by college kids and veterans training for aviation careers, or by middle-class middle-aged flying enthusiasts who choose learning to fly to playing a round of golf, and sometimes by high school kids using money from their part-time jobs to buy a lesson. You remind me of the neighbor who moved out here in the country, then complained about the roosters that crowed in the morning.
annarboral
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 10:19 p.m.
You can define ELITES any way you want. To me that's a very small group (pilots) that can afford to own ($100,00+?) or rent a very expensive item for entertainment. They also consume a huge resource (airport) and endanger (crash risk) everyone nearby and annoy (noise) everyone near by. It's a real joy to have people practtice "touch & gos" over your house at sundown. The airport has outlived its utility to the general public. Hey, if a loud hot rod was cruising your neighborhood you'd call the police to have it removed. What's the difference with loud planes that can crash on your home?
Harm
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 8:57 p.m.
No elites here....most pilots that fly out of Ann Arbor are people that love to fly so much that they spend an enormous percentage of their average income doing something they enjoy. Note that no one was injured except for the occupants of the plane. They didn't crash into a home. YOU are the 'ELITE', annarboral, wanting to deny others a joy in their lives.
JGS
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 1:30 p.m.
HAHAHA there are some awesome comments/replies here. @Dave - yours is top notch and so true! @soloaviator - You make great points! Somehow I am failing to see how this is the airport's fault? Oh right, if it wasn't there to begin with then none of this would have happened, got it now. As we all know, the A2 Airport (KARB) was here long before any houses were built. I guarantee you 100% that the new owners and builders warned you before you bought/built your house. You knew the risks so that doesn't give you the right to complain about it after the fact. How anyone cannot love aviation is beyond me... Oh well, I guess I'm a sucker for some JP5 and CAT 1. Roger Ball!
spm
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 11:20 a.m.
@motorcycleminer, darn right this airport was here a long time before the suburbs. My dad flew his plane out of there right after he got home from the war...WWII that is. It was way out in the country and people have bought these homes knowing they will live near an airport. Buyer Beware!
Dave
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 11:02 a.m.
Ann Arbor, 11 square miles surrounded by reality.
motorcycleminer
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 10:53 a.m.
Ann Arbor airport was here looooong before the " not in my back yard " crowd built all the " Mc mansions " around it ...go back to your flat earth society meeting...
Darwinia
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 6:09 a.m.
"Let them go to Willow Run before they crash into a home and kill or maime innocents." Never mind that Willow Run is surrounded by homes as well. But then again, West Willow and the old Denton Village neighborhoods don't have the economic power of Pittsfield Township.
soloaviator
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 2 a.m.
You should stop by sometime and check out who actually uses the Ann Arbor airport. Most of the people there are students learning to fly or young pilots building flight time for careers in aviation,"regular people" purchasing rides for the fun of it, medical flights bringing patients and organs to local hospitals, and hobbyists who pool their resources to afford a recreation they love. It is a public facility, used by many, for a variety of purposes that no other park can accommodate. Just don't rollerblade on the runway.
E. Crowe
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 1:02 a.m.
I am one of the elites who fly out of there and have been doing so long before I made a good salary and much longer than when you built your home at the foot of our runway. Ann Arbor has plenty of parks- you should try flying. It's fun.
mg0blue
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 12:53 a.m.
While we're at it, the University of Michigan Football Stadium (which is totally surrounded by Ann Arbor, not the University of Michigan campus), should also be closed and converted into a park. With all of the increased increased traffic, which also damages our precious ozone layer, there is also an increase of unruly people that could be dangerous and someone might get into a fight or get hit by a car. All of this is because of the ELITISTS at the University that are making a bunch of money off of these games, and the ELITISTS that can only afford to go to these games anymore. BAN EVERYTHING!!!!
Are you serious?
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 11:53 p.m.
I don't have any figures at hand but I would bet most people are in more danger of having a car crash into their house that being hit by an airplane of any kind let alone an ultralight.
SEC Fan
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 12:41 a.m.
I missed it too...where is the finding the pilot did anything irresponsible?
a2pilot
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 12:34 a.m.
I guess I missed it in this article but where did it mention he was flying irresponsibly?
a2phiggy
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 11:59 p.m.
So that gives pilots a permission slip to fly irresponsibly? Please clarify your point - the comments aren't about relative risk, it's about general safety.
a2phiggy
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 11:41 p.m.
@Ms. Biolchini: Are there minimum flight altitude requirements for these planes when not taking off or coming in for a landing along an approved path? We are nowhere near the airport and have noticed more and more low flying aircraft around the city this spring. I'm also curious about requirements for the planes that circle the stadium (and no, we can't read your banners, people!).
Silly Sally
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 2:36 a.m.
I believe that it is 500 above buildings in an area where the crash happened. It is 1,000 feet above the highest building in a city such as Ann Arbor. A prime consideration is being high enough so that if your engine were to suddenly quit,you can glide to a safe landing spot. This plane was near many, but he was so low. IF over Down town Ann Arbor, your options are limited. It is safer to come in to an airport high and then dive for the runway as opposed to being very low as commercial passenger planes do. But this is better for the passengers (less scary) and they have the most reliable engines (plural) in avation.
leaguebus
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 1:56 a.m.
Sounded like the engine died, the pilot did a good job not hitting a house. I hope the couple have a quick recovery.
E. Crowe
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 12:41 a.m.
Yes. If the pilot in command violated these minimums he might lose his license.
JRW
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 10:46 p.m.
These kinds of aircraft need to be illegal. Two people are in critical condition due to a crash in a residential neighborhood. Others could have died if hit in the crash. This has to be one of the most irresponsible undertakings I have read, building an experimental aircraft from a kit, and flying it over a residential neighborhood. This needs to be made totally illegal.
Harm
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 8:49 p.m.
Hi, JRW. I'm perfectly happy if people want to fly over my house. No need to outlaw one of the joys of life, one of the freedoms we have in the U.S. :)
leaguebus
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 1:52 a.m.
Last time I was at the experimental aircraft association fly-in at Oshkosh, it was the busiest airport in the country. It is amazing what the people that build their own planes do. This is truly what makes this country so great.
E. Crowe
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 12:42 a.m.
Paranoid is not just a Black Sabbath album after all.
SEC Fan
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 12:39 a.m.
You're absoulutely right! And while we're at it, let's outlaw cars as people constantly do irresponsible things while driving, like drinking, eating, putting on makeup, and talking on the phone (which i'm sure you've never done as you would never do anything that could potentially harm another person).
Chris
Sat, May 26, 2012 : 12:29 a.m.
Don't confuse "experimental" with "never flown." Aircraft in this class are broadly labeled "experimental" but some of these designs are 20 and 30 years old with proven, safe flying records. Kit aircraft are quite common - you would actually rather have someone build a plane of this type from a kit instead of building it from scratch...
a2citizen
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 11:55 p.m.
Yes, because 747's made in factories and flown by professionals never crash.
Paul Childs
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 11:31 p.m.
People are at risk no matter how they move about in our modern world. Cars, motorcycles, bikes, commercial aircraft, and trains have all caused injury and death to those that drive/fly or ride in them, or those that just happen to be in the area. While it is unfortunate what happened here, I don't believe one crash is enough to prove all these planes are unsafe, especially when the cause of the crash isn't even known yet. With this logic a case could be made for banning cars if you take a look at the numbers of car accidents that happen every year. There are a lot more unsafe cars and irresponsible drivers on the road each day than there are Skyrangers in the sky.
JRW
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 11:19 p.m.
I guess @harm thinks it's ok to endanger innocent people by totally irresponsible activities such as building an experimental plane and flying it over a residential neighborhood with the risk of a crash, that happened in this case, critically injuring the pilot and passenger. Next time someone builds an experimental plane, have them fly it over your house while you are outside on your deck. Good luck.
Harm
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 11:06 p.m.
Why?
Linda Peck
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 8:20 p.m.
Prayers and blessings for the couple.
Jeff Renner
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 7:35 p.m.
" ...the plane curled around to make a 180-degree turn and swiftly descended, landing with a "big bump and thud"." A plane flying at near its minimum speed that makes a sharp turn can lose lift on the inside wing. This is called wing stall, because that wing is now moving at less than its minimum speed, and the plane can suddenly plummet.
JRW
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 10:47 p.m.
Fine. This plane should never have been allowed to be flown. Period. Totally irresponsible.