Cessna 195 accident near Ypsilanti, Michigan, September 16, 2021
On September 16, 2021 at about 4:20 pm local time, a 1948 Cessna 195, registered N4358V, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Ypsilanti, Michigan (Willow Run airport). It was a personal 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 pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during taxi, which resulted in a ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 2021 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Ypsilanti, Michigan · Willow Run · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195, built 1948 · all 195s on the register
- Registration
- N4358V · registry record · serial 7274
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot reported that after landing in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, he performed a “higher than normal speed taxi” to exit the runway to make way for incoming landing traffic. During the taxi, he lost directional control, which resulted in a ground loop. During the ground loop, the right wing and the right horizontal stabilizer impacted the ground, sustaining substantial damage to both areas. The airplane came to rest upright, and the pilot taxied back to his hangar. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe and engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot additionally reported that he should have “taken the time necessary” to taxi the airplane safely off the runway and that he should not have “concerned myself with the fact that there was incoming traffic behind me.”
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
- Loss of control on ground during taxi (from runway) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi (from runway)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 832 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 684 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 4, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,281.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 13, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs Aircraft Engine Company R-755B2 (piston); 1,215 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05R/, 7,543 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from KYIP
Weather report (METAR): KYIP 161553Z 11007KT 10SM CLR 26/15 A3019 RMK AO2 SLP216 T02560150
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on October 5, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N4358V 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.