Piper PA-28R-180 accident near Traverse City, Michigan, January 1, 1984
On January 1, 1984 at about 8:53 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-180, registered N3776T, was destroyed in an accident near Traverse City, Michigan (Traverse City airport). It was a personal 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
- January 1, 1984 · about 8:53 pm local time
- Place
- Traverse City, Michigan · Traverse City
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-180 · all PA-28R-180s on the register
- Registration
- N3776T · registry record · serial 28-30088
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO THE FLT, THE PLT MADE A PHONE CALL TO A RELATIVE WHO LIVED NEAR THE SOUTHEAST SIDE OF LONG LAKE & SAID HE WOULD 'PASS OVER IN ABOUT 10 MIN.' AFTER HE TOOK OFF, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED IN A LOW PASS OVER THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE LAKE. THE ACFT THEN CIRCLED & BEGAN A 2ND LOW PASS. ON THE 2ND PASS, IT DESCENDED LOWER, HIT THE SNOW COVERED, FROZEN LAKE, BOUNCED & CRASHED. WITNESSES SAID LIGHT SNOW WAS FALLING, BUT THE VISIBILITY WAS GOOD.
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: 260 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 103 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 2,102 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,258 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 18, 1983; 79 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-B1E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TVC Traverse City MI at 8:40 pm
- Destination: MBS Saginaw MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from TVC, 8 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.