- Date
- August 26, 1988, 21:30 local (Aug 27, 1988, 02:30 UTC)
- Place
- Gary, IN
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5140SPiper PA-28R-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 16, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880826071079A
- Case key
- 14151
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Failure of the powerplant due to an oil leak and subsequent forced landing into unsuitable terrain.
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
While cruising over lake Michigan at ngt, a loss of oil pressure occurred which was quickly followed by an engine failure. The plt performed emergency procedures & prepared for a forced landing. He was able to glide to shore, but due to 'industrial terrain' along the shoreline, he elected to ditch the acft in lake Michigan near the shore. After ditching, he exited the acft & swam to a breakwater and the acft sank. He was rescued about 5 hrs later & was treated for hypothermia. The acft was further damaged when it was retrieved from the lake. No mechanical reason was found for the loss of oil pressure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5140S
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7135162
- Airframe hours
- 3,390
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Boersma, Henry L.
- Registered owner
- Boersma, Henry L
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 22, 1988 · 43 hours before
- Departed
- 08C · Jenison, MI
- Destination
- 3HA · Lansing, IL
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
- 39
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,952 total · 950 in this make and model · 1,892 as pilot in command · 136 in the last 90 days · 41 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F
- Observed at
- CGX, 20 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.
Other investigations on N5140S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.