Piper PA-22-150 accident near Easton Township, Michigan, November 12, 1983
On November 12, 1983 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-150, registered N6903D, was destroyed in an accident near Easton Township, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 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
- November 12, 1983 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Easton Township, Michigan
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N6903D · no longer on the register · serial 22-4830
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED APRX 3 MI FROM THE DEPARTURE ARPT. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, IT WAS FLYING AT APRX 200 FT AGL WHEN THE RIGHT WING DIPPED & THEN THE ACFT WENT NEARLY STRAIGHT INTO THE GROUND. AN INSPECTION OF THE AIRFRAME & FLT CONTROL SYS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION OF FAILURE. NO SCREEN WAS FOUND IN THE GASCOLATOR. THE CARBURETOR WAS DISASSEMBLED & NO EVIDENCE OF A MALFUNCTION WAS NOTED. THE CARBURETOR SCREEW WAS CLEAN. THERE WERE NICKS IN THE LEADING EDGES OF THE PROPELLER BLADES & SPANWISE SCRATCHES WERE ALSO NOTED ON THE BLADES.
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
- Flight time: 275 hours in all; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,814 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 15, 1983; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Y70 Ionia MI at 8:20 pm
- Destination: Y91 Lake City MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from GRR, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.