- Date
- March 20, 1984, 23:45 local (Mar 21, 1984, 04:45 UTC)
- Place
- St. Ignace, MI
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4343XPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840320006819A
- Case key
- 12564
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
In flight collision with terrain/water
Weather condition - icing conditionsFactor
Weather condition - fogFactor
Flight into known adverse weather - intentionalCause
Self-induced pressureFactor
Altitude - not maintainedCause
Analysis
The pilot initiated flight into adverse wx conditions in order to pick up a heart attack victim. The pilot encountered fog & in an attempt to return to his departure point, collided with the frozen lake.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4343X
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7600001
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Great Lakes Air, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 83D · St. Ignace, MI
- Destination
- Y84 · Mackinac Island, MI
- Airport
- 83D · Mackinac County
N4343XRegistration cancelled Nov 21, 2012 · Piper PA-32-260Airframe modelPiper PA-32-260Engine modelLycoming 0-540 series
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 29
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 3,000 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 70° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft
- Temperature
- 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PLN, 19 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.