# Accident 19981005028269A: Piper PA28140, Bad Axe, MI, October 5, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 5, 1998, 10:35 local time
- Place: Bad Axe, MI
- Airport: Huron County Memorial Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 43.8000° N, 82.9898° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.8000&lon=-82.9898&mi=10
- Aircraft: N648FL, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N648FL-2013-04-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-140 (registry code 7102802, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-140) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28140
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI99LA001](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA001) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981005028269A

## Narrative

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

ACFT STRUCK AN ELECTRICAL POLE, CRASHED, BURNED, AND WAS DESTROYED. (.19) ON OCTOBER 5, 1998, AT 0933 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-28-140, N648FL, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT HIT POWERLINES NORTHEAST OF THE HURON COUNTY MEMORIAL AIRPORT, BAD AXE, MICHIGAN.  THE AIRPLANE BURST INTO FLAMES WHEN IT IMPACTED THE GROUND.  THE PRIVATE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED.  THE 14 CFR PART 91 FLIGHT HAD DEPARTED FROM SEBEWAING TOWNSHIP AIRPORT WITH HURON COUNTY MEMORIAL AIRPORT AS THE DESTINATION.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED.                      (-23) ACFT IMPACTED UTILITY POLE 19.5 FT ABOVE GROUND.  APPROX 4.5 FEET INBD OF WINGTIP. AIRCRAFT TUMBLED APPROX 300' SHEDDING PARTS (WINGS), CAME TO REST INVERTED AND COCKPIT/CABIN AREA WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE.  PILOT AND PAX FATAL.

## 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 CHI99LA001](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA001), Oct 5, 1998: Piper PA-28-140 (N648FL), Bad Axe, MI, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance from the wires.

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.

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