Piper PA-38 accident near Niles, Michigan, June 6, 1982
On June 6, 1982 at about 6:25 pm local time, a Piper PA-38, registered N2588K, was destroyed in an accident near Niles, Michigan (Jerry Tyler Mem airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 1982 · about 6:25 pm local time
- Place
- Niles, Michigan · Jerry Tyler Mem · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38 · all PA-38s on the register
- Registration
- N2588K · registry record · serial 38-79A0681
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT ABOUT 1300 EDT, THE AIRCRAFT TOOK OFF ON A LOCAL TRAINING FLIGHT WITH A STUDENT AND A CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR ON BOARD. LATER AT ABOUT 1325, THE PLANE CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA ABOUT 1 MI NORTHEAST OF THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 21. ONE WITNESS REPORTED THAT BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, THE PLANE WAS IN A SLOW DOWNWARD ROLLING PATTERN. REPORTEDLY, THE AIRCRAFT LEVELED OUT, THEN THE WINGS TIPPED FROM SIDE TO SIDE APPROXIMATELY THREE TIMES. AT ABOUT THAT TIME, THE NOSE DROPPED TO A 45 TO 50 DEG ANGLE AND THE PLANE CRASHED. AN EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED NO PREIMPACT FAILURES.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,688 hours in all; 370 in this make and model; 113 in the last 90 days; 1,566 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,423 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Niles Airways, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 3TR Niles MI at 1:00 pm
- Destination: 3TR Niles MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 165°F (74°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.