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Atlas / NTSB / CHI85IA296

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event CHI85IA296

1985-07-17 LANSING, Michigan, United States Airport · LAN Fatal 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N5328L

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

PIPER PA-44-180

Year of manufacture

2001

Engine

LYCOMING O-360 SERIES (180 hp)

Seats / Engines

4 seats · 2 engines

Last airworthiness date

20011217

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A6BB56

Registrant of record

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

WHILE EN ROUTE TO JACKSON, MI, THE OWNER/PLT SUFFERED AN APPARENT HEART ATTACK. THE PASSENGER, WHO WAS A PRIVATE PLT, SAFELY LANDED THE ACFT AT LANSING, MI. THE OWNER/PLT'S WIFE SAID THAT HE HAD A PLT CERTIFICATE, BUT SHE COULD NOT LOCATE IT. THERE WAS NO RECORD OF THE PLT EVER POSSESSING AN FAA PLT OR MEDICAL CERTIFICATE. THE PASSENGER'S LAST MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WAS DATED PRIOR TO 1973. A PATHOLOGICAL EXAM OF THE PLT SHOWED HE HAD SEVERE ATHEROSCLEROTIC CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE WITH EVIDENCE OF AN OLD MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION. A TOXICOLOGY CHECK OF THE PLT'S BLOOD SHOWED A LOW LEVEL OF ALCOHOL (0.031%); HOWEVER, NO RELATIONSHIP WAS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL & THE HEART ATTACK. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1985_CHI85IA296.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.