Piper PA-28-180 accident near Hartford, Michigan, August 20, 1996
On August 20, 1996 at about 4:30 am local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N9209J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hartford, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
inaccurate fuel consumption calculations by the pilot before takeoff, and his improper decision not to land before his airplane ran out of fuel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 1996 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Hartford, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N9209J · no longer on the register · serial 28-3278
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he had flown the route several times before, and had planned the flight so that they would 'get back with 8/10th of an hour (of fuel) to spare.' While in cruise flight, at 3,000 feet mean sea level, the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot said that he switched tanks and started looking for a place to land. The passenger said that he saw something, perhaps a field, off of the right side of the airplane. The pilot turned the airplane toward the area. He could not make out anything. When the landing lights illuminated the trees, the pilot said he 'instinctively pulled back and tried to turn left. I hit the trees.' The airplane's elapsed time indicator read 2523.2 hours when the pilot signed out the airplane. It read 2529.9 when examined at the accident site. Examination of the wreckage showed no evidence of fuel in the fuel lines or the carburetor. Twenty ounces of fuel was recovered from the airplane's left wing tank. The pilot survived the accident and was found five days later by search and rescue personnel.
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: 142 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 87 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,530 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 16, 1996; 117 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,175 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 83D Mackinac Island MI at 2:30 am
- Destination: RCR Rochester IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 am from AZO, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.