Piper PA 22 accident near Breckenridge, Michigan, July 18, 2017
On July 18, 2017 at about 10:20 pm local time, a 1959 Piper PA 22, registered N9807D, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Breckenridge, Michigan (Ron'S Private Strip 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’s loss of situational awareness during the approach over a corn field, which resulted in collision with corn stalks.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 2017 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Breckenridge, Michigan · Ron'S Private Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 22, built 1959 · all PA 22s on the register
- Registration
- N9807D · no longer on the register · serial 22-6694
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was practicing short-field, touch-and-go landings on the private grass airstrip. The final leg of the approach was over a cornfield and a road perpendicular to the approach end of the airstrip. During final, the main landing gear (MLG) struck corn stalks that were about 6-ft tall. The airplane then landed short and struck the road. The right MLG collapsed, and the airplane slid across the road and onto the grass airstrip. The airplane's nose dug into the grass and dirt, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing strut and the rudder. The pilot reported that "this accident was pilot error" and that he believed that he became "fixated on the beginning of the grass and was oblivious to the height of the corn." The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Situational awareness › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Effect on equipment
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft surface › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,100 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 3.5 in the last 90 days; 0.6 in the last 30 days; 1,985 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 22, 2017
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,526 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 16, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 2,526 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Breckenridge MI at 10:02 am
- Destination: PVT Breckenridge MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,600 ft by 65 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from KSRC, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N9807D 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.