Piper PA-22-150 accident near Plymouth, Michigan, March 29, 1986
On March 29, 1986 at about 7:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-150, registered N3900P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plymouth, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- March 29, 1986 · about 7:20 pm local time
- Place
- Plymouth, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N3900P · no longer on the register · serial 22-3568
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ENG QUIT DURING CLIMB OUT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF. THE PLT SWITCHED TANKS AND TRIED A RESTART WITH NO SUCCESS. THE ACFT THEN EXPERIENCED A NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE AND NOSED OVER DURING A LANDING ROLL IN A FIELD. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE FUEL LINE TO THE CARBURETOR HAD BECOME DISCONNECTED RESULTING IN FUEL STARVATION.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 372 hours in all; 154 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 263 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,276 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1985; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1D2 Plymouth MI at 7:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 18 knots, gusting 28
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from DTW, 10 miles away
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 N3900P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.