Piper PA-32-260 accident near St. Ignace, Michigan, January 13, 1997
On January 13, 1997 at about 12:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N33797, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Ignace, Michigan (Mackinac County Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain proper runway alignment during the takeoff roll. A factor associated with the accident was the snowbank which the airplane contacted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 13, 1997 · about 12:15 pm local time
- Place
- St. Ignace, Michigan · Mackinac County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N33797 · no longer on the register · serial 32-7500031
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane drifted to the left during the takeoff roll. The left wing contacted a snowbank which resulted in the airplane turning around 180 degrees prior to coming to a stop.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 108 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 750 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 83D
- Destination: MCD Mackinac Isalnd MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,400 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N33797 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.