Piper PA-28-181 accident near Cleveland, Ohio, May 5, 1999
On May 5, 1999 at about 5:36 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N5408F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cleveland, Ohio (Burke Lakefront Airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 1999 · about 5:36 pm local time
- Place
- Cleveland, Ohio · Burke Lakefront Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N5408F · no longer on the register · serial 28-7790113
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot performed a cross-country flight that was between 3 hours 15 minutes and 3 hours 45 minutes in duration. As he neared his destination, the engine began to run rough. He turned on the boost pump and got a momentary power surge. About two minutes later the engine lost all power and he declared an emergency. The airplane was ditched in a lake, and not recovered. The pilot was rescued about one hour after the ditching, and reported that the fuel gauges indicated 5 gallons of fuel in each tank when the engine lost 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 313 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 223 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,191 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 15, 1998; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,130 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GRB Green Bay WI at 2:15 pm
- Destination: BKL OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from BKL, 7 miles away
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.
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.