Beech T34B accident near Fremont, Michigan, September 25, 1997
On September 25, 1997 at about 4:25 pm local time, a Beech T34B, registered N777SU, was destroyed in an accident near Fremont, Michigan (Fremont Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall. Also causal was the pilot's ostentatious display.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 1997 · about 4:25 pm local time
- Place
- Fremont, Michigan · Fremont Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech T34B · all T34Bs on the register
- Registration
- N777SU · no longer on the register · serial BG-159
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses said the surplus military trainer took off, retracted its landing gear, and accelerated as it flew about 10 to 15-feet above the runway. As it crossed the end of the departure runway it pitched up '...nearly vertical... .' The airplane continued to climb until it stalled, yaw-rolled to the left, pitched down, and changed its heading about 135-degrees. The airplane descended toward the ground at a witness reported 45-degree angle. One witness stated the engine was running at' ...full power... .' The airplane collided with the ground, slid to a stop, and a fire occurred. The on-scene investigation revealed no mechanical anomalies with the airframe, flight control system, or engine. The pilot had flown this airplane about 11.1 hours total time since receiving a checkout in the airplane by a pilot without a flight instructors certificate about 3-months before the accident.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,017 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 145 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days; 3,293 as pilot in command; 242 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 30, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 2,985 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3FM at 4:25 pm
- Destination: 3FM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from MKG, 23 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.