Piper PA-46-310P accident near Boyne Falls, Michigan, March 23, 1986
On March 23, 1986 at about 9:43 pm local time, a Piper PA-46-310P, registered N43769, was destroyed in an accident near Boyne Falls, Michigan (Boyne Mountain airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- March 23, 1986 · about 9:43 pm local time
- Place
- Boyne Falls, Michigan · Boyne Mountain · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-46-310P · all PA-46-310Ps on the register
- Registration
- N43769 · no longer on the register · serial 46-8508007
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER THE PLT WAS CLEARED FOR AN RNAV-B APCH, THE ACFT CRASHED ON HILLY TRRN APRX 3 MI SE OF THE ARPT AT AN ELEV OF 750'MSL. IMPACT OCCURRED AFTER THE ACFT HAD TURNED TO THE SSE & WAS DSCNDG. MIN DSCNT ALT (MDA) FOR THE APCH WAS 1680'. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WERE FND. APRX 4 HRS BFR TAKEOFF, FSS PSNL PROVIDED A WX BRIEFING. THERE WAS NO WX RPRTG STN AT THE DESTN, BUT THE AREA FORECAST WAS FOR MARGINAL VMC WITH ISOLATED VISIBILITIES OF 3 TO 5 MI IN LGT SNW SHOWERS.PELLSTON (APRX 25 MI AWAY) WAS FORECAST FOR A CHANCE OF 1200' OVERCAST & 3 MI VIS WITH LGT SNW SHOWERS, BUT THIS INFO WAS NOT GIVEN TO THE PLT. LATER, WHEN THE PLT FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN, HE DID NOT UPDATE HIS WX BRIEFING. WHILE EN ROUTE, HE CHECKED THE PELLSTON & TRAVERSE CITY WX & WAS ADVISED THEY HAD INDEF OR OBSCD CEILINGS OF 1500' OR LESS WITH GUSTY WNDS & LGT SNW SQUALLS. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THERE WERE SNW SHOWERS OR SQUALLS IN THE ACDNT AREA WITH 1/4 TO 3/4 MI VIS. THE MISSED APCH PROCEDURE CALLED FOR: RGT CLIMBING TURN TO 3000', PROCEED TO THE IAF (8 MI SOUTH OF ARPT) & HOLD.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,168 hours in all; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 15, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 4,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-BE1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DTW Detroit MI at 8:12 pm
- Destination: D83 Boyne City MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 4,300 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 40 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°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.
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.