Boeing 737-222 and Piper PA-30 incident near Lansing, Michigan, August 30, 1986
On August 30, 1986 at about 1:48 pm local time, 2 aircraft, Boeing 737-222 (N749N) and Piper PA-30 (N7388Y), were involved in the same incident near Lansing, Michigan. No one was hurt; 61 people were 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 incident. 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
- August 30, 1986 · about 1:48 pm local time
- Place
- Lansing, Michigan
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 61 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Boeing 737-222 · all 737-222s on the register
- Registration
- N749N · no longer on the register · serial 19547
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
- Aircraft 2
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N7388Y · registry record · serial 30443
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative for the Boeing 737-222 final · quoted from the NTSB record
PIEDMONT FLT PI255 (A BOEING 737, N749N) WAS DSCNDG IN VISUAL CONDS ON AN IFR CLNC WHEN IT & A TWIN COMMANCHE (PIPER PA-30, N7399Y) CONVERGED & PASSED WITHIN A RPRTD 50 TO 100 FT OF EACH OTHER. THE NEAR COLLISION OCCURRED AS THE PA-30 WAS CRUISING WESTBOUND AT 8500 FT & FLT PI255 WAS DSCNDG TO 7000 FT. LANSING APCH CONTROL (CTL) HAD ADZD FLT PI255 OF VFR TRAFFIC (A BEECH E33) AT 6500 FT, BUT THE CTLR WAS NOT AWARE OF THE PA-30 SINCE ITS RADAR RETURN WAS BLOCKED OUT BY AN OVERLAP WITH THE BEECH E33, 2000 FT BELOW THE PA-30. THE PLT OF THE BEECH E33 WAS BEING PROVIDED VFR ADVISORIES BY APCH CTL. THE PA-30 WAS NOT ON A FLT PLAN & WAS NOT IN RADIO CONTACT WITH ATC. NEITHER OF THE CREWS INVOLVED IN THE NEARCOLLISION SAW THE OTHER ACFT. ALL 3 ACFT WERE TRANSPONDER EQUIPPED WITH ALT RPRTG CAPABILITY & ALL WERE SQUAWKING EITHERAN ASSIGNED OR AN APPROPRIATE CODE SUPPLEMENTED BY ALT REPLY.
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 NTSB's narrative for the Piper PA-30 final · quoted from the NTSB record
PIEDMONT FLT PI255 (A BOEING 737, N749N) WAS DSCNDG IN VISUAL CONDS ON AN IFR CLNC WHEN IT & A TWIN COMMANCHE (PIPER PA-30, N7399Y) CONVERGED & PASSED WITHIN A RPRTD 50 TO 100 FT OF EACH OTHER. THE NEAR COLLISION OCCURRED AS THE PA-30 WAS CRUISING WESTBOUND AT 8500 FT & FLT PI255 WAS DSCNDG TO 7000 FT. LANSING APCH CONTROL (CTL) HAD ADZD FLT PI255 OF VFR TRAFFIC (A BEECH E33) AT 6500 FT, BUT THE CTLR WAS NOT AWARE OF THE PA-30 SINCE ITS RADAR RETURN WAS BLOCKED OUT BY AN OVERLAP WITH THE BEECH E33, 2000 FT BELOW THE PA-30. THE PLT OF THE BEECH E33 WAS BEING PROVIDED VFR ADVISORIES BY APCH CTL. THE PA-30 WAS NOT ON A FLT PLAN & WAS NOT IN RADIO CONTACT WITH ATC. NEITHER OF THE CREWS INVOLVED IN THE NEARCOLLISION SAW THE OTHER ACFT. ALL 3 ACFT WERE TRANSPONDER EQUIPPED WITH ALT RPRTG CAPABILITY & ALL WERE SQUAWKING EITHERAN ASSIGNED OR AN APPROPRIATE CODE SUPPLEMENTED BY ALT REPLY.
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 for the Boeing 737-222 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 5,400 hours in all; 1,700 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 107,000 lb
- Seats: 100
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DAY Dayton OH at 1:10 pm
- Destination: LAN Lansing MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 55 |
The factual record for the Piper PA-30 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 5,100 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Manville NJ
- Destination: GRR Grand Rapids MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
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.