Cessna 152 accident near Ann Arbor, Michigan, May 25, 2011
On May 25, 2011 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N222UM, was involved in an accident during standing (engine(s) operating) near Ann Arbor, Michigan (Ann Arbor Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor’s failure to maintain clearance from the propeller when exiting the airplane. Contributing to the accident were the instructor’s decision not to shut down the engine before exiting the airplane and the operator’s lack of a policy prohibiting any person from entering or exiting an airplane with its engine operating.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 2011 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ann Arbor, Michigan · Ann Arbor Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 NO SERIES · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N222UM · no longer on the register · serial 15281063
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor exited the airplane with the engine operating in preparation for a student pilot to perform his second solo flight. The flight instructor was struck by the rotating propeller as she walked toward the front of the airplane. The flight instructor stated that the operator's flight instructors would typically exit and walk toward the back of an airplane when they were going to have student pilots perform their solo flights. However, instead of walking toward the rear, she walked toward the front where her car was parked. After the accident, the operator adopted a policy prohibiting anyone from entering or exiting an airplane with the engine operating.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- AC/prop/rotor contact w person during standing (engine(s) operating) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › (general) › (general) › Not specified
- factor Organizational issues › Management › Policy/procedure › Availability of policy/proc › Operator
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,600 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 109 in the last 90 days; 66 in the last 30 days; 5,400 as pilot in command; 3,700 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 17, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 29 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 0 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Crew member
No details recorded.
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 18,014 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 26, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: University Of Michigan Flyers Inc
The flight
- Departed from: ARB Ann Arbor MI
- Destination: ARB Ann Arbor MI
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N222UM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.