Cessna 172R accident near Luzerne, Michigan, August 5, 2000
On August 5, 2000 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 172R, registered N395ES, was substantially damaged in an accident near Luzerne, Michigan (Lost Creek 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 misjudged flare and porpoise encountered during landing by the pilot. A factor to the accident was the collapse of the nose gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 2000 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Luzerne, Michigan · Lost Creek Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N395ES · no longer on the register · serial 17280144
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was damaged during a nose over following a nose gear collapse while landing. The pilot said that during landing the '... plane ballooned and gained noticeable altitude. At this point I [the pilot] determined that it was too late to do a go-around. During the attempt to get on the runway, main gear contact was made very hard, bouncing plane airborne. Then the plane porpoised down the runway until the nose gear collapsed.' The pilot indicated no mechanical failure or malfunction in his report of the accident. A postaccident examination of the aircraft failed to reveal any anomalies that could be associated with a preexisting condition. The pilot's airman certificate was issued on July 6, 2000. The pilot listed, in his written report, 88.1 hours total flight time and 29.9 hours as pilot in command.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 88 hours in all; 88 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 30 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 668 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 10, 2000; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SBN South Bend IN at 10:15 pm
- Destination: 5Y4
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 36, 2,600 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 310° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.