NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CHI83FAMS1
Aircraft involved
Factual narrative
THE ACFT DISAPPEARED FROM RADAR CONTACT WHILE OVER LAKE MICHIGAN. THIS ACFT HAD DEPARTED BALTIMORE MD AT 1142 CDT TO FLYTO MANITOWOC, WI. THE LAST ENROUTE STOP FOR FUEL WAS AT MUSKEGON MI AT 2040 CDT. THE WEATHER WAS VMC BUT THE NIGHT WAS DARK. NO FLT PLAN WAS FILED. THE ACFT IS ASSUMED DESTROYED BECAUSE A PART OF THE ACFT WITH THE DATA PLATE AND SERIAL # AA1-0414 ON IT WAS FOUND ON A REMOTE BEACH OF LAKE MICHIGAN SOUTH OF ARCADIA ON 7/19/83. THE ACFT DEPARTED MUSKEGON AT ABOUT 2110 CDT WITH A FULL LOAD OF FUEL. AT ABOUT 2145 CDT THE PILOT REPORTED BY RADIO THAT HE HAD LOST AN ENGINE CYLINDER AND WAS GOING DOWN. THE EMERGENCY BEACON CODE WAS PICKED UP BY MUSKEGON APPROACH CONTROL AT A POINT ABOUT 55 MILES NORTHWEST OF MUSKEGON. NO ELT SIGNAL WAS HEARD. THE PILOT IS MISSING AND PRESUMED TO BE FATALLY INJURED. THE COASTGUARD SUSPENDED SEARCH AT 1600 CDT ON JULY 10, 1983 PENDING FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1983_CHI83FAMS1.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Beyond the agency record
Search this event elsewhere.
Pre-filled searches into the sources where news + community discussion of aviation events lives. External sources are reported, not agency. Treat them as signal that something happened, not as fact about what happened.
Entity-clustered aviation events in the press — last 24 hr + 30-day archive.
Official agency record + docket.
Investigative docket: factual reports, photos, transcripts.
Long-running aviation incident database (Flight Safety Foundation).
Community NTSB synthesis blog — often has photos and witness reports.
Gold-standard aviation incident blog.
Aviation industry news search.
GA pilot forum — informed but rumor-prone.
GA pilot subreddit search.
Tail-number page — flight history (free tier limited).
AOPA Air Safety Institute search.
Mainstream press coverage. Recent events only.
Privacy-preserving news search.
External links open in a new tab. We don't ingest their content; we deep-link search queries.