Piper PA28-140 accident near Sparta, Michigan, October 25, 2000
On October 25, 2000 at about 11:17 am local time, a Piper PA28-140, registered N98094, was destroyed in an accident near Sparta, Michigan (Sparta airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain proper runway alignment on departure and his failure to maintain clearance from the trees. The pilot's attempted flight into known adverse weather, his lack of instrument experience, the fog, and the trees were contributing factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 25, 2000 · about 11:17 am local time
- Place
- Sparta, Michigan · Sparta · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28-140 · all PA28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N98094 · no longer on the register · serial 28-26040
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane struck trees and terrain about 300 feet left of the extended runway centerline and about 1,000 feet from the departure and of the runway during an instrument takeoff. The weather at an airport 16 miles away was recorded as 1/4 statute miles visibility with fog and a vertical visibility of 100 feet. A witness reported weather at the accident airport as less than 1/8 mile visibility about 40 minutes after the accident. The pilot had accumulated a total of about 53 hours of instrument time with 9 of those hours in actual instrument conditions. The pilot had received a weather briefing prior to the accident, and had filed an IFR flight plan but did not obtain a departure clearance for the flight. A postaccident examination of the airframe, engine, and instruments revealed no anomalies that could be associated with a preexisting condition.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 710 hours in all; 430 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 8D4 at 11:17 am
- Destination: HEF Manassas VA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 3,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 124°F (51°C), dew point 124°F (51°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 am from GRR, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
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.