# Accident 19960820023829A: Piper PA28180, Hartford, MI, August 20, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 20, 1996, 00:30 local time
- Place: Hartford, MI
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.2010° N, 86.1607° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.2010&lon=-86.1607&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9209J, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9209J-1997-03-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-180 (registry code 7102808, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28180
- Reported engine: LYC O320D3G
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 138 total, 11 in this make and model, 9 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI96FA316](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI96FA316) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960820023829A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

LOST POWER EN ROUTE. LANDED IN TREES. NOT FOUND FOR 5 DAYS. FUEL TANKS EMPTY. FUEL EXHAUSTED TO RETURN HOME. (-23) ON AUGUST 20, 1996 AT ABOUT 0030 EDT, A PIPER PA-28-180, OPERATED BY A PRIVATE PILOT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHEN THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINE LOST POWER AND IMPACTED THE TERRAIN N A WOODED AREA. THE PILOT SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES AND THE PASSENGER WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN REPORTED MISSING FOR FIVE DAYS BEFORE BEING FOUND.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI96FA316](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI96FA316), Aug 20, 1996: Piper PA-28-180 (N9209J), Hartford, MI, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: inaccurate fuel consumption calculations by the pilot before takeoff, and his improper decision not to land before his airplane ran out of fuel.

## Other reports on N9209J (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19910209004039I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19910209004039I), Feb 9, 1991: Piper PA28180 (N9209J), Indianapolis, IN. Electrical system failure in flight. Emergency landing without incident.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.