- Date
- September 4, 1988, 11:57 local (15:57 UTC)
- Place
- Boyne City, MI
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N52601Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880904036669A
- Case key
- 13970
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 pilot and his passenger were flying low over a sailboat regatta to photograph sailboats. As the pilot maneuvered for a photograph, he throttled back and banked the aircraft in a steep bank. Subsequently, the aircraft stalled and there was insufficient altitude to recover. The aircraft impacted the water in a left wing low, nose down attitude and sank almost immediately. The passenger escaped with serious injuries. He tried to help the pilot, but the pilot received a head injury, which was fatal. Aprx 23 mi nne at pellston, MI, the 1152 EDT wx was in part: estd 700' ovc, vis 3 mi with light rain showers & fog. Winds in the area were rprtd to be variable.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N52601
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17274561
- Airframe hours
- 1,200
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ayotte Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 5, 1988 · 90 hours before
- Departed
- D87 · Harbor Springs, 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 712 total · 12 in this make and model · 671 as pilot in command · 74 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 700 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PLN, 23 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.
Other investigations on N52601 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.