Piper PA-28-140 accident near Grant, Michigan, September 7, 1997
On September 7, 1997 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N6391R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grant, Michigan (Grant Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's fixation on the end of the runway, his failure to place the airplane in an attitude to land (flare) which resulted in a hard landing, and the pilot's failure to recover from the subsequent bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 7, 1997 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Grant, Michigan · Grant Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N6391R · registry record · serial 28-21568
- 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 lined up on the runway for landing on runway 09 and 'I was focusing on landing on the end of the runway and was going to touch down near the approach end. I failed to flare at a high enough altitude and struck the ground very hard and bounced back into the air. The plane bounced twice more before stalling and landing on the nose gear. The nose gear broke and the airplane came to rest about half way down the runway.' Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies.
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: 120 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 85 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,411 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 2, 1997; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O1C at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,517 ft by 120 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from GRR, 31 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.