Piper PA-28-181 accident near Paw Paw, MI
On August 13, 1999, a Piper PA-28-181 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Paw Paw, MI. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 13, 1999
- Place
- Paw Paw, MI
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 42.209°N, 85.890°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X19427
NTSB summary
History of Flight On August 13, 1999, at 1046 eastern daylight time (All time edt), a Piper PA-28-181, N 281PF, operated by National Flyers Association, was destroyed when it experienced an in-flight breakup prior to impacting the ground about 3 miles south of Paw Paw, Michigan. The outboard section of the right wing and empennage were located approximately 0.5 miles north of the main wreckage. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight had departed Fond Du Lac County Airport, Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, at approximately 0930 en route to the Ohio State University Airport, Columbus, Ohio, on a business flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was filed. The private pilot and three passengers received fatal injuries. The service lineman at the Fond Du Lac Airport reported N281PF had landed at Fond Du Lac on Thursday at 1600. He reported the pilot requested the airplane be topped off with fuel and oil. The lineman reported he topped off the fuel tanks with 35.9 gallons of fuel and added two quarts of oil. The pilot phoned the Federal Aviation Administration's Green Bay Automated Flight Service Station (FAA GRB AFSS) at 0117 on August 13, 1999. The pilot spoke with the weather briefer for approximately 13 minutes concerning the weather conditions for the pilot's intended route of flight from Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, to Columbus, Ohio. At 0118:18, the GRB AFSS told the pilot, "Well, at the present time, there's an Airmet for Wisconsin forecasting occasional IFR conditions over the, ah, northwestern three quarters of Wisconsin." At 0118:50, the GRB AFSS told the pilot,
Probable cause
the pilot flew into known adverse weather, the pilot's lack of total instrument flight experience, and the pilot exceeded the design limits of the airplane. Factors included the pilot's total lack of experience in the type of operation and the pilot's overconfidence in his personal abilities.
More accidents in MI
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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.
