- Date
- November 12, 1986, 01:00 local (06:00 UTC)
- Place
- Detroit, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N8161KPiper PA-34-220T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19861112054619A
- Case key
- 13692
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
Upon landing at Detroit metropolitan airport, the pilot stated that he was instructed by the tower to make a right turn on runway 3C or taxiway j, and taxi to butler aviation. The pilot then turned onto what he thought was taxiway j, but was actually a paved area between taxiways. When he realized he was not on a taxiway, he told the tower and was instructed to taxi straight ahead if possible and he would be on the taxiway. After moving forward, a number of feet, the left main gear encountered an unmarked trench, approximately 1 foot wide by 15 feet long and about 4 inches deep, tearing off the left main gear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8161K
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-220T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 348233109
- Airframe hours
- 1,600
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-KB, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Olson Flight Services
- Registered owner
- Van Air Leasing
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 6, 1986 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- DET · Detroit, MI
- Airport
- DTW · Detroit Metro Wayne, runway 27, 8,700 × 200 ft, concrete
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
- 26
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,221 total · 512 in this make and model · 3,091 as pilot in command · 149 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 25 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DTW
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.