- Date
- November 6, 1983, 18:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Decatur, MI
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5528LCessna 152 II
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19831106059979A
- Case key
- 12375
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft impacted trees and the ground during a night x-country in deterotiated weather about 3/4 of a mi ssw of keeler,MI, VOR. Witnesses heard the acft circling at low alt but did see the acft due to clouds, drizzle and fog. The sound of the eng was continuous until cracking trees and an explosion were heard. The plts log showed he had no night flying experience or inst flight time and only 4.3 hours of inst hood time loged in nov, 1980. The plt had received a weather briefing but had not filed a flt plan or made any radio calls while enroute.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5528L
- Reported as
- Cessna 152 II
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 152-84339
- Airframe hours
- 156
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2, 118 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Henry Tuinstra
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · June 7, 1983 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- UGN · Waukegan, IL
- Destination
- 41C · Wayland, MI
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 239 total · 193 in this make and model · 204 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Observed at
- BEH, 20 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.