Piper PA-24-250 accident near Gregory, Michigan, August 28, 2025
On August 28, 2025 at about 7:50 pm local time, a 1961 Piper PA-24-250, registered N7412P, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Gregory, Michigan (Richmond Fld airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 2025 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Gregory, Michigan · Richmond Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250, built 1961 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N7412P · registry record · serial 24-2600
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On August 28, 2025, at about 1550 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-24-250 airplane, N7412P, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Gregory, Michigan. The pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that he and the airplane owner flew the airplane from the Toledo Suburban Airport (DUH), Lambertville, Michigan, to the Charlevoix Municipal Airport (CVX), Charlevoix, Michigan, where he dropped off the airplane owner. He then re-boarded the airplane to return to DUH alone. He reported that the flight from DUH to CVX was uneventful, as was the flight from CVX toward DUH, until about 1:20 into the flight. At this time the engine suddenly stopped producing power. The pilot was in communication with air traffic control (ATC) and reported the power loss. The controller provided the pilot with options for nearby airports and the pilot elected to attempt a landing at the Richmond Field Airport (69G), near Gregory, Michigan. The airplane came to rest in a field just south of 69G and a post-impact fire ensued which consumed the cabin portion of the airplane. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed extensive fire damage. Initially the engine could not be rotated; however, after removal of the fire damaged accessories and accessory housing on the back of the engine, the remainder of the engine was free to rotate. Thumb compression was verified on all cylinder and valve continuity was verified. All of the accessory case gears were intact. The engine still had an unknown amount of oil that drained out of the broken crankcase during the examination. Examination of the accessory case components revealed that the vacuum pump drive shaft, the tachometer drive shaft, and the oil pump drive shaft were seized in their bores. Disassembly of the accessory case components did not reveal any anomalies and the seizures were consistent with the fire damage. The rear mounted magnetos were extensively damaged by the postimpact fire and were unable to be tested.
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 enroute defining event
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Espyess Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: CVX Charlevoix MI at 6:30 pm
- Destination: DUH Lamberville MI
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,600 ft; scat at 2,900 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from KOZW, 12 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KOZW 281955Z AUTO 30007KT 10SM SCT029 BKN036 OVC048 22/14 A3001 RMK AO2=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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 CEN25LA357.