Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB CEN18LA123
MILLS MICHAEL S1L — Dewitt, MI
| Date | March 22, 2018 |
| Location | Dewitt, MI |
| Aircraft | MILLS MICHAEL S1L (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Approach Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 69 |
| Pilot total time | 17,100 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-Glare-Effect on personnel - C
- Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Wire-Effect on operation - C
What happened
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.