Piper PA32RT accident near Mackinac Island, Michigan, September 2, 2019
On September 2, 2019 at about 4:05 pm local time, a 1978 Piper PA32RT, registered N31934, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Mackinac Island, Michigan (Mackinac Island airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing with a crosswind, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with a runway light.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 2, 2019 · about 4:05 pm local time
- Place
- Mackinac Island, Michigan · Mackinac Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA32RT 300, built 1978 · all PA32RTs on the register
- Registration
- N31934 · no longer on the register · serial 32R-7885143
- 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, while landing, the airplane encountered a sudden crosswind and drifted left. The airplane bounced on touchdown and then veered left, exited the runway, impacted a runway light, traveled through a ditch, and the main landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airport's automated weather observation station reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 360° at 11 knots. The pilot was landing the airplane on runway 26.
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
- Other weather encounter during landing
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
- Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Landing gear collapse during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Runway/taxi/approach light › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 147.5 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 2.2 in the last 90 days; 2.2 in the last 30 days; 78.3 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 13, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,248.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 18, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming (piston); 14 hours total
- Operator: West Michigan Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: MKG Muskegon MI at 2:30 pm
- Destination: MCD Mackinac Island MI
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 26, 3,501 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,700 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 4:15 pm from KMCD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on October 29, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Email Correspondence (FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Damage Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.