Piper J-3C65 accident near Bloomfield Hill, Michigan, September 2, 1982
On September 2, 1982 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Piper J-3C65, registered N6544H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bloomfield Hill, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- September 2, 1982 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bloomfield Hill, Michigan
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J-3C65 · all J-3C65s on the register
- Registration
- N6544H · registry record · serial 19736
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
TAKEOFF WAS FROM SE END OF A LAKE ABOUT 4,000 FT LONG (SE TO NW) WITH A SMALL ISLAND IN THE CENTER. THE PLT STATED THAT AFTER LIFT-OFF HE OBTAINED CLIMB SPEED BUT THE ACFT WOULD NOT CLIMB FROM ABOUT 20-30 FT ABOVE THE WATER. SEVERE TURBULENCE WAS ENCOUNTERED & THE ACFT DRIFTED INTO THE TREES ON THE ISLAND. THE PLT INDICATED THAT A TAKEOFF TO THE EASTOF THE ISLAND WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE ADVANTAGEOUS, BUT A BOAT WAS LOCATED BETWEEN THE ISLAND & THE EASTERN SHORE OF THE LAKE. THE ACFT WAS ABOUT 20 LBS UNDER MAX GROSS WEIGHT.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,186 hours in all; 485 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 1,145 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,900 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Bloomfield Hill MI at 2:00 pm
- Destination: Bloomfield Hill MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 176°F (80°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N6544H the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 CHI82DA333.