Piper PA-28-180D accident near Troy, Michigan, June 17, 1992
On June 17, 1992 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180D, registered N429HD, was destroyed in an accident near Troy, Michigan (Oakland-Troy airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 1992 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Troy, Michigan · Oakland-Troy · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180D · all PA-28-180Ds on the register
- Registration
- N429HD · no longer on the register · serial 28-5411
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT WAS ON CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT TO DESTINATION WITH RUNWAY 09/27 ONLY. WINDS WERE FROM 180 AT 22 KNOTS GUSTING TO 32. FIRST APPROACH TO RUNWAY 27 WAS DESCRIBED BY WITNESSES AS SLOW AND UNSTABLE, AND TERMINATED IN A GO-AROUND. SECOND APPROACH WAS TO RUNWAY 09, AND WAS ALSO DESCRIBED AS SLOW AND UNSTABLE. PILOT WAS APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET AGL WHEN HE INITIATED ANOTHER GO-AROUND AND BEGAN A TURN TO THE NORTH. WITNESSES STATED THAT THE ANGLE OF BANK KEPT INCREASING DURING TURN UNTIL AIRPLANE WAS ALMOST INVERTED, AND POINTED AT THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE CRASHED IN INDUSTRIAL AREA ADJACENT TO AIRPORT. INVESTIGATION DETERMINED FULL FLAPS WERE SELECTED. OWNERS MANUAL FOR THE AIRPLANE RECOMMENDS PARTIAL OR NO FLAPS FOR STRONG CROSSWIND LANDINGS.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,157 hours in all; 695 in this make and model; 56 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 717 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,683 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 12, 1992; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 8G2 Corry PA at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 3,855 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 22 knots, gusting 32
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from PTK, 12 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.
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.