Piper PA-36-285 accident near Imlay City, Michigan, September 22, 1986
On September 22, 1986 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-36-285, registered N65130, was substantially damaged in an accident near Imlay City, Michigan (Private Strip airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- September 22, 1986 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Imlay City, Michigan · Private Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-36-285 · all PA-36-285s on the register
- Registration
- N65130 · no longer on the register · serial 367560047
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT TAKEOFF ACCELERATION DID NOT SEEM NORMAL. HE ROTATED APPROX 5 MPH EARLY AND COULD NOT CLIMB OUT. HE DELAYED EMERGENCY DUMPING OF THE LOAD OF INSECTICIDE UNTIL CLEARING A DRAINAGE DITCH. HE STATED THAT IF HE WOULD HAVE DUMPED AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY INSTEAD, THE ACCIDENT 'WOULD PROBABLY NOT HAVE OCCURRED'.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,956 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 225 in the last 90 days; 81 in the last 30 days; 8,765 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,676 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 22, 1986; 234 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming CONTINENTAL (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hatfield Spraying CORP.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 1,700 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.