Piper PA-22-20-150 accident near Mason, Michigan, November 1, 1998
On November 1, 1998 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-20-150, registered N5908D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mason, Michigan (Mason-Jewett Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
was the pilot not maintaining control of the airplane. A factor in this accident was the pilots lack of total experience in the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 1, 1998 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mason, Michigan · Mason-Jewett Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-20-150 PA-22-20-1 · all PA-22-20-150s on the register
- Registration
- N5908D · registry record · serial 22-4570
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said the tail wheel-equipped airplane began yawing to the left as he brought the airplane onto its main landing gear during takeoff. He said he over corrected with right rudder and then left rudder. The pilot said a yaw oscillation followed and the airplane departed the runway's left edge. Shortly after departing the runway's edge, the airplane's right main gear tire dug into the ground. The airplane ground-looped to the right and came to a stop on its right wing tip and nose. The pilot said he had 19-hours total time in the airplane and about 255-hours in a tail wheel-equipped home built airplane that was similar to the accident airplane except with about half the horse power.
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: 426 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 358 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,033 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 7, 1998; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TEW at 5:00 pm
- Destination: TEW
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 3,503 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; scat at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:17 pm from TEW, 1 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.
Other NTSB records under N5908D 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.