# Accident 19990813011969A: Piper PA28181, Pawpaw, MI, August 13, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 13, 1999, 10:51 local time
- Place: Pawpaw, MI
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Unknown/Not Reported
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.2094° N, 85.8900° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.2094&lon=-85.8900&mi=10
- Aircraft: N281PF, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N281PF-2013-03-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-181 (registry code 7102807, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-181) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28181
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 4
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI99FA290](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99FA290) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990813011969A

## Narrative

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

ACFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT SOME WITNESSES STATED THAT A WING CAME OFF IN FLIGHT, ALL 4 POB SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES, THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED. (.19) ON AUGUST 13, 1999, AT 1051 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, 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, 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 PILOT AND THREE PASSENGERS RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES.                                                           (-23)WITNESSES REPORTED THAT RIGHT WING AND OTHER PARTS SEPARATED FROM AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT PRIOR TO AIRCRAFT EMERGING FROM THE OVERCAST.

## 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 CHI99FA290](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99FA290), Aug 13, 1999: Piper PA-28-181 (N281PF), Paw Paw, MI, destroyed, 4 fatal. 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…

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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