Amateur-built BD4 accident near Acme, Michigan, July 22, 1985
On July 22, 1985, a amateur-built BD4, registered N115PK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Acme, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 1985 · cases in 1985
- Place
- Acme, Michigan
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BD4
- Registration
- N115PK · registry record · serial 115
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS ON THE SECOND FLT OF NEWLY CERTIFICATED ACFT AND HAD BEEN AIRBORNE APRX 10 MINUTES WHEN A TOTAL LOSS OF PWR WAS EXPERIENCED. UNABLE TO RETURN TO THE ARPT THE PLT LANDED THE ACFT IN AN OPEN FLD. DURING THE LANDING ROLL THE ACFT STRUCK A ROAD EMBANKMENT SEPARATING THE ENG AND GEAR FROM THE AIRFRAME. THE PLT REPORTED THE MIXTURE CONTROL WAS NOT SAFETY WIRED WHEN IT WAS RERIGGED JUST PRIOR TO THIS FLT. THE MIXTURE CONTROL BECAME DISCONNECTED DURING THE FLT RESULTING IN FUEL STARVATION TO THE ENG.
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: 1,442 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1,336 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Y17 Acme MI
- Destination: Y17 Amce MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N115PK the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N115PK on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D1B 27,303 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Michigan 2,107 since 1982 · 230 in the last ten years
- Michigan 7,230 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N115PK 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI85LA305.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.