Beech A-23-23 accident near Monroe, Michigan, July 4, 2002
On July 4, 2002 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Beech A-23-23, registered N3545R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Monroe, Michigan (Custer 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 misjudging the flare, and his loss of directional control during landing. The soft terrain was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2002 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Monroe, Michigan · Custer · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A-23-23 · all A-23-23s on the register
- Registration
- N3545R · no longer on the register · serial M-801
- 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 when the nose landing gear collapsed during landing. The pilot reported that he was practicing takeoffs and landings when, on the fourth landing, "... [the pilot] must have flared [too] soon causing the airplane to bounce at touchdown." The airplane then went off the right side of the runway where, "the nosewheel dug into the terrain causing it to collapse and the airplane to go nose down."
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: 111 hours in all; 4 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-346A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TTF Monroe MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 03
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.