- Date
- May 26, 1988, 22:00 local (May 27, 1988, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Plainwell, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N20389Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report April 14, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880526016369A
- Case key
- 14080
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
During an unauthorized flight of unknown duration, by person(s) unknown, aircraft control was not maintained. The aircraft was observed by a witness to 'wobble' as it approached the runway. The witness then saw the aircraft 'crash' into the grass at the left side of the approach end of the runway. The pilot/occupant(s) of the aircraft had abandoned it by the time police and the witness arrived on the scene. Police investigation continues. Injury index presumed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N20389
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17261258
- Airframe hours
- 3,527
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Mason, Bruce L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 23, 1987 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- 61D
- Airport
- 61D · Ostego-Plainwell Muni
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
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AZO, 15 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.