Cessna 172RG accident near Berrien Springs, Michigan, February 1, 2005
On February 1, 2005 at about 1:50 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N9515B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Berrien Springs, Michigan. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not maintaining airspeed leading to an excessive sink rate during a simulated emergency landing after takeoff. An additional cause was the certified flight instructor's inadequate supervision.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 1, 2005 · about 1:50 pm local time
- Place
- Berrien Springs, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N9515B · registry record · serial 172RG0846
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane, piloted by a private pilot receiving instruction from a certified flight instructor (CFI), sustained substantial damage during a hard landing following a simulated loss of engine power during takeoff and subsequent emergency landing after takeoff. The pilot's accident report stated, "On climb out, the air speed was held between 63 and 65 knots (Vy). To simulate an engine failure, the CFI reduced the throttle. Immediately upon noticing the loss of power, I lowered the nose of the aircraft to avoid loss of airspeed and to avoid a wing stall. While maintaining control of the aircraft, altitude was lost. An attempt was made to flare the aircraft before contact with the runway. Subsequently, a hard landing was made, and the aircraft came to a complete stop on the runway." The CFI's accident report stated, "We then made a short field takeoff and during the takeoff I simulated an engine failure. We immediately pushed the nose over but with insufficient airspeed we developed a high sink rate and made a hard landing." The CFI stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions associated with the airplane during the flight. The wind was calm.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,260 hours in all; 255 in this make and model; 64 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 4,074 as pilot in command; 1,889 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 28, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,026.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 17, 2004; 63.4 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: C20 Berrien Springs MI
- Destination: C20
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.45 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from BEH, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 CHI05CA060.