An ultralight plane offered for sale crashed during its test flight at Lowell Airport, Vergennes Township, near Lowell, Michigan, at about 11:30 a.m. on August 24.
Kent County sheriff’s Sgt. Russ Larson confirmed that a New Mexico man who was taking the test flight in the aircraft owned by a local resident, was killed in the crash. He was identified as Bryan Bowker, 67, of Edgewood.
Authorities said that the plane successfully took off and landed once but crashed during a second take off attempt. Jeff Ostrander, who runs a flight school at Lowell Airport, said, “He had been doing some practicing with the aircraft, taxing up and down the runway to become familiar with the ground handling characteristics…I think what probably happened is a narrow dynamic stall where in the wing is held at such angle to the wind that no longer provides normal lift and airplanes do not fly in that condition.”
The FAA is investigating the crash.
United Airlines flight UA-1043 ran into turbulence while heading to Newark, New Jersey, on December 8th.
Piedmont Airlines flight PDT-4868 had to return and make an emergency landing at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip, New York, on May 16th.