- Date
- July 20, 1987, 06:45 local (10:45 UTC)
- Place
- Marne, MI
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8972YPiper PA-25-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 7, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870720039699A
- Case key
- 13569
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.
Analysis
At the end of a swath run while about one-third of the way through the procedure turn around, the engine suddenly lost power. The pilot extended his glide to clear powerlines and when he flared to land he did not have enough airspeed to stop the descent. The aircraft landed hard, the main landing gear collapsed and the aircraft nosed over. Investigation revealed malfunction damage to the engine drive train gears, severe enough to cause total loss of power. The aircraft was using autogas without STC approval.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8972Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-7405593
- Airframe hours
- 2,095
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B2-C5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- George R. Stevenson, Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 14, 1987 · 56 hours before
- Departed
- Howard City, MI
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
- 55
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 7,004 total · 4,000 in this make and model · 7,001 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GRR, 16 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.