- Date
- July 5, 1997, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mackinac Island, MI
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N56676Piper PA-34-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 29, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970705017679A
- Case key
- 10626
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 improper flare and improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a hard landing. Turbulence on short final was a related factor.
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 pilot said that on short final approach, the airplane encountered turbulence and that he held the airplane off the runway to allow airspeed to decrease. The airplane then bounced one time and landed hard.
Factual narrative
On July 5, 1997, at 1200 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-34-200, N56676, received substantial damage during a hard landing on runway 26 (3,501' x 75' dry/asphalt) on Mackinac Island, Michigan. The private pilot told police he encountered windshear during the landing. The pilot and four passengers reported no injuries. The personal 14 CFR Part 91 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was on file. The flight departed Jenison, Michigan, at 1030.
The pilot said that the airplane encountered a "few bumps" on final approach. He said that he found the airplane was high over the runway; that he held the nose up and allowed the airspeed to decrease. He said that the airplane bounced once and then came down with a loud bang.
An examination of the airplane subsequent to the accident failed to reveal any preexisting anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N56676
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7450020
- Airframe hours
- 6,000
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1E6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James A. Dykstra
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 14, 1997 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- 08C · Jenison, MI
- Destination
- MCD
- Airport
- MCD · Mackinac Island, runway 26, 3,501 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 488 total · 48 in this make and model · 363 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Temperature
- 70 °F
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 N56676 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.