Piper PA-34-200 accident near Mackinac Island, Michigan, July 5, 1997
On July 5, 1997 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200, registered N56676, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mackinac Island, Michigan (Mackinac Island airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper flare and improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a hard landing. Turbulence on short final was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 5, 1997 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mackinac Island, Michigan · Mackinac Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200 · all PA-34-200s on the register
- Registration
- N56676 · registry record · serial 34-7450020
- 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 on short final approach, the airplane encountered turbulence and that he held the airplane off the runway to allow airspeed to decrease. The airplane then bounced one time and landed hard.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 488 hours in all; 48 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 363 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 1997; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1E6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 08C Jenison MI at 2:30 pm
- Destination: MCD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,501 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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 N56676 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.