Piper PA28 accident near Ontonagon, Michigan, August 3, 2019
On August 3, 2019 at about 3:43 pm local time, a 1967 Piper PA28, registered N5167L, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Ontonagon, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The non-instrument-rated pilot’s decision to continue visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions with thunderstorm activity, which resulted in spatial disorientation and a loss of airplane control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 2019 · about 3:43 pm local time
- Place
- Ontonagon, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 180, built 1967 · all PA28s on the register
- Registration
- N5167L · registry record · serial 28-4453
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, who was not instrument rated, was conducting a personal flight in visual meteorological conditions when he flew into an area of instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) with thunderstorm activity. After flying several minutes in IMC, the airplane entered a left turn that became increasingly tighter along with a with a rapid climb that was followed by a rapid descent until the airplane impacted the ground. The airplane was destroyed. Postaccident examination revealed no evidence of a preexisting mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The spiral flightpath with significant changes in altitude was consistent with the pilot experiencing the effects of spatial disorientation. Weather imagery indicated an outflow boundary ahead of the main cumulonimbus cloud line. The pilot likely encountered gusty and turbulent wind conditions when the airplane flew into the outflow boundary. The adverse weather conditions likely contributed to the pilot’s spatial disorientation. The pilot did not receive a weather briefing before the flight.
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
- Windshear or thunderstorm during enroute (cruise) defining event
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute (cruise)
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (cruise)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Convective weather › Thunderstorm › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Below VFR minima › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 79.1 hours in all; 79.1 in this make and model; 0.5 in the last 90 days; 0.5 in the last 30 days; 50 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 9, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,518.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 14, 2019; 9.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 10 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IWD Ironwood MI at 4:16 pm
- Destination: OGM Ontonagon MI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 11:28 am from IWD, 34 miles away
Weather report (METAR): SPECI KIWD 031528Z AUTO 33009KT 10SM BKN014 BKN100 22/19 A3015 RMK AO2=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
19 documents, released by the NTSB on August 30, 2022. 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.
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.