Piper PA-28-181 accident near Michigan City, Indiana, August 16, 1998
On August 16, 1998 at about 6:30 am local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N30561, was substantially damaged in an accident near Michigan City, Indiana (Michigan City Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot departed into known adverse weather and failed to maintain directional control of the airplane. A factor was the fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 1998 · about 6:30 am local time
- Place
- Michigan City, Indiana · Michigan City Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N30561 · registry record · serial 28-7990096
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported he had cancelled his IFR flight plan from St. Louis, Missouri, to Gary, Indiana, and proceeded to Michigan City, Indiana, using flight following. The pilot reported he landed at Michigan City at 0330 in light ground fog. He reported that the ground fog was 'no problem.' He reported, 'Upon departing 02, the fog suddenly obscured the runway. I proceeded to cut the power and came to rest in a field adjacent to the runway.' The 0253 EDT weather at Benton Harbor, Michigan, 31 nautical miles to the northeast, was reporting the temperature as 57 degrees Fahrenheit, and the Dew Point was 57 degrees Fahrenheit. The 0254 EDT weather at South Bend, Indiana, 22 nautical miles to the east, was reporting the temperature as 62 degrees Fahrenheit, and the Dew Point was 62 degrees Fahrenheit.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 864 hours in all; 802 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 864 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,793 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 10, 1998; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCG at 8:30 am
- Destination: GYY Gary IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 4,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 am from BEH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N30561 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.