- Date
- December 29, 1989, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Jenison, MI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1294TPiper PA-34-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891229054299A
- Case key
- 14611
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
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the approach. A contributing factor was the icing condition that existed at the time of the accident.
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
The flight was a multi-engine check ride for the pilot/applicant. Both pilots reported that as they were on a short final approach the aircraft 'abruptly oscillated (buffeted), pitched nose up then nose down...' The nosewheel impacted the runway and broke off, and the aircraft skidded off the left side of the runway. The pilots stated that the aircraft had accumulated about 1/2' of mixed ice during their descent through the clouds. The aircraft had been modified with a robertson stol kit in July, 1976. The aircraft is not certified or equipped for flight in icing conditions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1294T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7250284
- Airframe hours
- 2,912
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1E6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jenison Airlease, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 25, 1989 · 10 hours before
- Flight plan
- VFR/IFR
- Airport
- 08C · Riverview Airport, runway 14, 3,765 × 46 ft, snow
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 339 total · 11 in this make and model · 208 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,300 ft overcast
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.