Cessna 172 accident near Clare, Michigan, February 14, 2003
On February 14, 2003 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N693SA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clare, Michigan (Clare Municipal Airport). It was an instructional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot failed to maintain directional control of the airplane during takeoff roll. A factor was the snow bank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 14, 2003 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Clare, Michigan · Clare Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N693SA · registry record · serial 17258514
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane sustained substantial damage when it veered off the runway and hit a snow bank. The student pilot was on a solo cross country instructional flight. The student pilot, who had a total of 38 hours of flight time, reported that she "pulled the nose up too soon" during takeoff. The airplane veered to the left as she tried to lower the nose. She reduced power but was unable to prevent the airplane from departing the runway and hitting a snow bank on the left side of the runway.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 38 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,551 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 30, 2002; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 48D Clare MI at 7:30 pm
- Destination: FNT Flint MI
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 8, 2,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from MOP, 12 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI03LA073.