Piper PA 18 accident near Iron Mountain, Michigan, January 19, 2019
On January 19, 2019 at about 6:35 pm local time, a 1959 Piper PA 18, registered N3298Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Iron Mountain, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's distraction and subsequent loss of situational awareness and visual horizon in overcast sky conditions, which led to an unrecognized descent during a low-level maneuver and subsequent impact with snow-covered terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 19, 2019 · about 6:35 pm local time
- Place
- Iron Mountain, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 18 150, built 1959 · all PA 18s on the register
- Registration
- N3298Z · no longer on the register · serial 18-7240
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On January 19, 2019, about 1315 central standard time, a Piper PA-28 airplane, N3298Z, impacted terrain near Iron Mountain, Michigan. The airline transport-rated pilot sustained minor injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight that originated at Ford Airport, Iron Mountain, Michigan. The pilot reported that he had conducted an uneventful sight-seeing flight and intended to return to the departure airport. He initiated a left turn about 800 ft above a lake and became distracted while focusing on a distant point across the frozen and snow-covered lake. The pilot added that he lost reference to the horizon while continuing in a descending left turn until ground impact. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The departure airport's automated surface observation system, located 6 miles west of the accident site, reported that, about 20 minutes before the accident, winds were from 020º at 5 knots, 10 miles visibility, ceiling overcast at 3,500 ft, temperature -11ºC, dew point -18ºC, and altimeter setting of 30.19 inches of mercury.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Situational awareness › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Attention › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Snowy/icy terrain › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Clouds › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,196 hours in all; 1,250 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 14,696 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 3, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,995.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 24, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C90-12F (piston); 3,976 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IMT Iron Mountain Kingsford MI at 7:15 pm
- Destination: IMT Iron Mountain Kingsford MI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 12°F (-11°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 6:54 pm from KIMT, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 2, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Site Photographs | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.