Piper PA32RT accident near St Ignace, MI
On September 1, 2018, a Piper PA32RT (airplane) was involved in an accident near St Ignace, MI. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 1, 2018
- Place
- St Ignace, MI
- Aircraft
- Piper PA32RT · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 45.903°N, 84.707°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180904X04313
Official records · CEN18FA368
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 31, 2018, about 2145 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA32RT-300T, N500MJ, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near St Ignace, Michigan. The instrument-rated private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The manager of Mackinac County Airport (83D), St Ignace, Michigan, reported that, about 2000, the pilot fueled his airplane and told the manager that he would be returning to Mackinac Island Airport (MCD) to pick up five passengers. The manager said he was in his office about 2145 when he observed the airplane taxi to runway 7 and the airplane took off. He stated that the airplane sounded normal during takeoff. About 5 minutes later, the manager received a call from 911 dispatch, and the manager confirmed to dispatch that an airplane had just departed 83D. Two witnesses who were facing a lake bordering the airport reported that they observed a low-flying airplane take off from the airport. They stated that the airplane was flying about 100 to 200 ft above the surface of the water, then the airplane banked to the right and they lost sight of it. About 10 to 15 seconds later, the witnesses heard what sounded like a crash into the water or an explosion. A county deputy sheriff spoke with four other witnesses who were staying at a nearby motel, and they reported similar observations to him. There were no distress radio calls from the pilot, and there was no radar information available for the flight. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONPilot flight logbooks were not availab
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient altitude after takeoff in dark night conditions which resulted in a collision with the water.
More accidents in MI
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82, Aug 17, 1987
- Embraer EMB-120RT, Jan 9, 1997
- Beech 65-A90, Jul 31, 1999
- Casa C-212-CC, Mar 4, 1987
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-14, Dec 3, 1990
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.
