- Date
- May 3, 1987, 16:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Detroit, MI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N60023Cessna 150J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 27, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870503012199A
- Case key
- 13759
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
While on approach to Detroit city airport the #1 cylinder fractured and separated resulting in engine failure. The pilot made a forced landing in a field approx. four miles west of the airport. Examination of the broken cylinder revealed the mode of the fracture was fatigue. During the forced landing the left main and nose gears were broken off.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N60023
- Reported as
- Cessna 150J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15070010
- Airframe hours
- 2,924
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Charles Spicer, doing business as Spicer Flying Service
- Registered owner
- Nighthawk Air, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 30, 1987 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- LAN · Lansing, MI
- Destination
- DET · Detroit, MI
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 56
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 8,550 total · 5,000 in this make and model · 8,550 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DET, 4 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.