Cessna 175 accident near Unknown, Michigan, November 11, 2002
On November 11, 2002, a Cessna 175, registered N7091M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Unknown, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Undetermined. Missing aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 11, 2002
- Place
- Unknown, Michigan
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175 · all 175s on the register
- Registration
- N7091M · no longer on the register · serial 55391
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane is missing. The airplane has not been located. The pilot is missing. The passenger's body was located in Lake Michigan almost a month after the accident. The last known departure point was Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. According to information provided in a flight service station briefing earlier in the day, the final destination for the flight was Beaver Island, Michigan. The last radar data on the airplane was over Lake Michigan south of Fairport, Michigan. The Coast Guard and the Civil Air Patrol searched for the airplane to no avail. Two AIRMETS were valid for the area of the last radar contact. One AIRMET warned of occasional low overcast ceilings less than 1,000 feet and visibility below 3 miles in stratus, precipitation, and mist. The other AIRMET warned of occasional moderate rime or mixed icing in clouds and in precipitation above the freezing level to 20,000 feet. The freezing level was identified near 4,000 feet over the northwest portion of the advisory area and rose to near 12,000 feet over the southern portion of the region.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental GO-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FLD Fond Du Lac WI at 10:15 pm
- Destination: Beaver Island MI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.46 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.