Piper PA-44-180 accident near Howell, MI
On October 9, 1998, a Piper PA-44-180 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Howell, MI. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 9, 1998
- Place
- Howell, MI
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-44-180 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 42.601°N, 83.930°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X11207
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 9, 1998, at 1530 eastern daylight time (edt), a Piper PA-44-180, N3040A, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed during a collision with the ground and post-impact fire. Witnesses reported the airplane did a go-around while over the approach threshold of runway 31 (4,300' X 75' dry asphalt) at the Livingston County Airport, Howell, Michigan. The witnesses said the airplane yawed left and right while pitched up and then rolled to the left becoming inverted and nosed down. They said the airplane descended vertically until it collided with the ground. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 positioning flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The flight departed Terre Haute, Indiana, about 1330 edt. A pilot at the accident airport said he heard "...a pilot announce: 'Livingston, downwind 31, engine out." A flight instructor at the airport said he saw a Piper "...Warrior rolling out after landing and at the same time I also spotted the Seminole [N3040A] passing overhead the Warrior by about 100 feet." The flight instructor continued, "...the Seminole was nose high and flying about 60 to 70 knots, it was wallowing and not gaining altitude or airspeed... . The Seminole drifted to the right of the runway, slightly right wing down and gained about 50 additional feet. The plane stalled, dropped the left wing and turned vertically nose down. The plane hit nearly straight down... ." Other witnesses confirmed what the flight instructor said. According to
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain/exceed the Vmc airspeed during a go-around maneuver. Contributing factors were the shutting down of the left engine and the lack of recent experience in the type operation.
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Browse: Michigan · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
