Piper PA-28R-200 accident near N. Manitou Isl., Michigan, December 11, 1986
On December 11, 1986 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N32693, was substantially damaged in an accident near N. Manitou Isl., Michigan (Cherry Capital airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- December 11, 1986 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- N. Manitou Isl., Michigan · Cherry Capital · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N32693 · registry record · serial 28R7535078
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD RECVD AN UNFAVORABLE WX BRIEF THAT INCLUDED A SIGMET ON FLT ICING. ENROUTE DURING FLT OVER A LARGE BODY OF WATER HE EXPERIENCED POWER LOSS AND WAS AT TOO LOW A ALTITUDE TO GLIDE TO SHORE. THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO LD ON A ISLAND BUT CRASHED IN A LAKE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,250 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,002 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 10, 1987; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MQT Marquette MI at 1:29 pm
- Destination: TVC Traverse City MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 15 knots, gusting 28
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,700 ft
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from TVC, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.