Cessna 172RG accident near Sunfield, Michigan, January 31, 2001
On January 31, 2001 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N6448V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sunfield, Michigan (Frank Voshell 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 inadequate preflight preparation and the unsuitable terrain for takeoff encountered. Factors included the slushy runway and the snowbank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 31, 2001 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sunfield, Michigan · Frank Voshell · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N6448V · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0709
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported the airplane was substantially damaged during takeoff when the left main gear encountered slushy snow that pulled the airplane to the left into a snowbank along the left side of the runway. The pilot reported the airplane was pulled into the deeper snow and the airplane went up on its nose and right wingtip.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 800 hours in all; 630 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 784 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 6, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,576 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 2001; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Sunfield at 6:00 pm
- Destination: 9D9 Hastings MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; a few clouds at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.65 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from LAN, 18 miles away
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.