Overall Trends
Total, fatal, and serious accidents in the selected range.
Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.
Fast key and full-text search with live filters, watches, and precise metadata.
Use quotes for exact phrase matches (for example "fuel selector valve").
Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.
Major cases, deep-report coverage, and investigation media across decades of NTSB history.
Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.
NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.
The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.
The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.
Kalkaska, MI
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HIS FUEL SUPPLY WAS EXHAUSTED DUE TO A STRONGER THAN ANTICIPATED HEADWIND, AND HE ATTEMPTED TO LAND ON A ROAD. HE CONFIGURED THE AIRPLANE FOR LANDING AND ESTABLISHED A GLIDEPATH. HE DISCOVERED POWERLINES ACROSS HIS PLANNED GLIDEPATH AND THE AIRPLANE STALLED WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO OVER FLY THE POWERLINES.
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's poor preflight and inflight planning and decisions. Factors were the powerlines and the inadvertent stall.
On May 19, 1995, at 0810 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28- 140, N56523, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing in Kalkaska, Michigan. The private pilot sustained serious injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight originated in Ann Arbor, Michigan with a planned destination of East Port, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was filed. The pilot reported that his fuel supply was exhausted and he attempted to land on a road. He configured the airplane for landing and established a glidepath. He discovered powerlines across his planned glide path, and stalled the airplane when he attempted to over fly the powerlines. The pilot reported that he calculated the required fuel for the flight. In his written statement he reported that he encountered "stronger than anticipated headwinds at flight altitude" and made an "incorrect estimate of fuel on board as well as actual fuel consumption." A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector, who examined the wreckage, reported that both fuel tanks were empty. He reported no evidence of preimpact airframe or mechanical engine malfunction. The inspector reported that the airplane was last refueled in East Port, Michigan, the night before the accident. According to the inspector, a witness reported that the left tank was topped off and the right tank was filled up to the tab.