Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Defiance, Ohio, June 21, 1997
On June 21, 1997, a Piper PA-32R-300, registered N5716F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Defiance, Ohio (Defiance Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of a wheel rim due to overstress separation with no clear evidence initiating event.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 1997
- Place
- Defiance, Ohio · Defiance Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300 · all PA-32R-300s on the register
- Registration
- N5716F · registry record · serial 32R-7780018
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
At 65 knots, the pilot rotated the airplane and simultaneously heard a loud bang and felt a severe left pull. The pilot applied right rudder and brake to stop the left drift; however, the airplane departed the runway, continued across a grassy area, then across an asphalt taxi way, and came to a stop in an upright attitude. A 100 hour inspection had been completed just prior to the flight, and an examination of the left main wheel found a 6 inch section of the inner wheel rim missing. A 2 inch piece of the inner wheel was found about 565 feet from the approach end of the runway. Microscopic examination revealed 'no clear evidence of fatigue...and the fracture appears to have failed by overstress separation.'
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 502 hours in all; 62 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 448 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,882 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 6, 1997; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DFI
- Destination: BKL Cleveland OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 30, 4,197 ft by 72 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N5716F 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.