- Date
- March 20, 1978
- Place
- Pontiac, MI · PONTIAC, MI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N38642Piper PA-32R
- Status
- Completed · report May 25, 1978
- Report
- Brief approved by the director
- FAA report
- 19780320022939A
- Case key
- 142455
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
NTSB brief
NTSB’s brief of the accident, as it was printed: the coded facts, with the probable cause and factors.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FILE DATE LOCATION AIRCRAFT DATA INJURIES FLIGHT PILOT DATA F S M/N PURPOSE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3-1058 78/3/20 PONTIAC,MI PIPER PA-32R CR- 0 0 1 COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL, AGE 22, 1474 TIME - 2100 N38642 PX- 0 0 1 AIR TAXI-CARGO TOTAL HOURS, 690 IN TYPE, DAMAGE-SUBSTANTIAL OT- 0 0 0 INSTRUMENT RATED. DEPARTURE POINT INTENDED DESTINATION LAST ENROUTE STOP ROCHESTER,NY ROCHESTER,NY LANSING,MI TYPE OF ACCIDENT PHASE OF OPERATION LIGHTNING STRIKE IN FLIGHT: NORMAL CRUISE PROBABLE CAUSE(S) WEATHER - LIGHTNING STRIKE FACTOR(S) PERSONNEL - PRODUCTION-DESIGN-PERSONNEL: POOR/INADEQUATE DESIGN AIRFRAME - WINGS: WINGTIPS WEATHER BRIEFING - PARTIAL BRIEFING BY FLIGHT SERVICE PERSONNEL, BY PHONE/RADIO, LIMITED BY PILOT ACTION WEATHER FORECAST - WEATHER CONSIDERABLY WORSE THAN FORECAST EMERGENCY CIRCUMSTANCES - PRECAUTIONARY LANDING ON AIRPORT SUSPECTED OR KNOWN AIRCRAFT DAMAGE SKY CONDITION CEILING AT ACCIDENT SITE OVERCAST 5000 VISIBILITY AT ACCIDENT SITE PRECIPITATION AT ACCIDENT SITE 5 OR OVER(UNLIMITED) NONE OBSTRUCTIONS TO VISION AT ACCIDENT SITE TYPE OF WEATHER CONDITIONS NONE VFR TYPE OF FLIGHT PLAN IFR REMARKS- WING TIP STRUCTURE MISSING FROM EACH WING,FIBERGLASS CONSTRUCTION.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N38642
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R
- Category
- Airplane
- Engine
- reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.