Piper PA-28-140 accident near Greenville, Michigan, November 7, 2020
On November 7, 2020 at about 1:45 am local time, a 1967 Piper PA-28-140, registered N9993W, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Greenville, Michigan (Greenville Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation during a low approach over the airport, which resulted in a forced landing and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 7, 2020 · about 1:45 am local time
- Place
- Greenville, Michigan · Greenville Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140, built 1967 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N9993W · registry record · serial 28-23542
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the personal flight said he completed a night cross-country flight to two airports and returned for landing to the departure airport. During approach to the departure airport, he overflew the airport at low-level to check for deer on the runway for intended landing. During a right turn for the landing approach, the engine lost power and a subsequent engine restart attempt was unsuccessful. He stated that he could still hear some engine noise and tried to use the throttle to pump fuel. He stated there was a slight rise in engine speed when he first pumped the throttle. He was unable to regain engine power then performed a forced landing during which the airplane sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed about 1 pint of fuel in the left fuel tank and about 12 gallons of fuel in the right fuel tank. There was about 1 tablespoon of fuel in the carburetor and no fuel in the gascolator bowl. The loss of engine power during the right turn, with the right wing in a low attitude, most likely occurred due to unporting of any residual fuel in the left fuel tank, which did not have useable fuel remaining. Also, when some engine power was regained during the pumping of the throttle, it was indicative of only residual fuel available from the carburetor. Though the pilot stated he selected the left fuel tank about 30 minutes prior to accident, a positive selection would have supplied usable fuel to the engine and a loss of engine power likely would not have occurred.
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 engine power (partial) during approach
- Loss of engine power (total) during emergency descent
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Fuel related during approach defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 400 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 31 in the last 30 days; 318 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 9, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,815.0 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 15, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 7,041 hours total
- Operator: Talon Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: 6D6 Greenville MI at 11:54 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 190° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 7:35 pm from Y70, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN21LA048.