Piper PA32RT N31934

Summary

On 2 September 2019 at about 16:05 local time, a Piper PA32RT registered N31934, operated by West Michigan Flying Club, was involved in an accident near Mackinac Island, Michigan, United States. 6 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 September 2019 at 16:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Mackinac Island, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Mackinac Island (MCD)

Coordinates

45.8650, -84.6372

Aircraft

Piper PA32RT

Registration

N31934

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

West Michigan Flying Club

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Muskegon → Mackinac Island

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA19CA520

Nobody was injured.

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.