- Date
- August 16, 1998, 02:30 local (06:30 UTC)
- Place
- Michigan City, IN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N30561Piper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report July 2, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980816022249A
- Case key
- 43797
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 departed into known adverse weather and failed to maintain directional control of the airplane. A factor was the fog.
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 reported he had cancelled his IFR flight plan from St. Louis, Missouri, to Gary, Indiana, and proceeded to Michigan City, Indiana, using flight following. The pilot reported he landed at Michigan City at 0330 in light ground fog. He reported that the ground fog was 'no problem.' He reported, 'Upon departing 02, the fog suddenly obscured the runway. I proceeded to cut the power and came to rest in a field adjacent to the runway.' The 0253 EDT weather at Benton Harbor, Michigan, 31 nautical miles to the northeast, was reporting the temperature as 57 degrees Fahrenheit, and the Dew Point was 57 degrees Fahrenheit. The 0254 EDT weather at South Bend, Indiana, 22 nautical miles to the east, was reporting the temperature as 62 degrees Fahrenheit, and the Dew Point was 62 degrees Fahrenheit.
Factual narrative
On August 16, 1998, at 0330 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-181, N30561, was substantially damaged when it went off runway 02 during an aborted takeoff. The private pilot was not injured. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight was departing the Michigan City Airport, Michigan City, Indiana, with Gary Regional Airport, Gary, Indiana, as the destination. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported that he had landed departed Little Rock, Arkansas and landed in St. Louis, Missouri. He then departed St. Louis en route to Gary, Indiana. He cancelled his IFR flight plan to Gary and proceeded to Michigan City, Indiana, using flight following. The pilot reported he landed at Michigan City at 0330 in light ground fog. He reported that the ground fog was "no problem."
He reported, "Upon departing 02, the fog suddenly obscured the runway. I proceeded to cut the power and came to rest in a field adjacent to the runway."
The 0253 EDT weather at Benton Harbor, Michigan, 31 nautical miles to the northeast, was reporting the temperature as 57 degrees Fahrenheit, and the Dew Point was 57 degrees Fahrenheit.
The 0254 EDT weather at South Bend, Indiana, 22 nautical miles to the east, was reporting the temperature as 62 degrees Fahrenheit, and the Dew Point was 62 degrees Fahrenheit.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N30561
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7990096
- Airframe hours
- 4,793
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lester S. Green
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 10, 1998 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- MCG
- Destination
- GYY · Gary, IN
- Airport
- MGC · Michigan City Airport, runway 2, 4,100 × 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
- 55
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 864 total · 802 in this make and model · 864 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BEH
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 N30561 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.