Piper PA-30 accident near Bad Axe, Michigan, July 20, 1987
On July 20, 1987 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-30, registered N8049Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bad Axe, Michigan (Huron County Memorial airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 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
- July 20, 1987 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Bad Axe, Michigan · Huron County Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N8049Y · no longer on the register · serial 30-1161
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A DEMONSTRATION OF AN ABORTED TAKEOFF, THE 'POWER WAS CUT' AFTER THE AIRCRAFT ACCELERATED TO ABOUT 75 MPH. AT ABOUT THAT TIME, THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED A GUST OF WIND AND BECAME AIRBORNE. A POWER RECOVERY WAS INITIATED, BUT THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN IN A YAW. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT SLID SIDEWAYS UNTIL CONTACTING SOFT DIRT BESIDE THE RUNWAY, THEN THE MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE NOSE GEAR, RIGHT WING AND PROPS WERE DAMAGED.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 13,199 hours in all; 62 in this make and model; 13,075 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,473 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 76D at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.