Piper PA28 accident near Ontonagon, MI
On August 3, 2019, a Piper PA28 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ontonagon, MI. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 3, 2019
- Place
- Ontonagon, MI
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 46.699°N, 89.473°W
- NTSB ID
- 20190803X03459
Official records · CEN19FA247
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 3, 2019, about 1143 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180 airplane, N5167L, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Ontonagon, Michigan. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot’s brother stated that the pilot intended to fly from Gogebic-Iron County Airport (IWD), Ironwood, Michigan, to Ontonagon County Airport (OGM), Ontonagon, Michigan, to meet some friends and go fishing on Lake Superior. According to data downloaded from an Appareo Stratus device recovered at the accident site, about 1116, the pilot departed from runway 27 at IWD and made a climbing right turn toward the east-northeast and OGM. At 1121:30, the pilot began a left turn from an east course toward north and, about 1124:30, began descending from 4,900 ft mean sea level (msl). Between 1127:30 and 1132:00, the pilot flew north toward Lake Superior and between two areas of moderate precipitation, as shown in figure 1, and the airplane descended from 4,500 ft msl to 2,500 ft msl. Between 1132 and 1136, the pilot flew southeast through a thunderstorm with moderate-to-heavy precipitation, as shown in figures 2 and 3, during which the airplane climbed from 2,100 to 2,800 ft msl. Figure 1. Airplane ground track with 1127:46 weather depicted. Figure 2. Airplane ground track with 1132:05 weather depicted. Figure 3. Airplane ground track with 1136:25 weather depicted. After 1136, the airplane emerged from the thunderstorm on a southeast course at 2,800 ft msl. At 1136:45, the pilot
Probable cause
The non-instrument-rated pilot’s decision to continue visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions with thunderstorm activity, which resulted in spatial disorientation and a loss of airplane control.
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.
