Cessna 175 accident near Battle Creek, Michigan, November 2, 2006
On November 2, 2006 at about 6:54 pm local time, a Cessna 175, registered N9408B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Battle Creek, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power while in cruise flight due to an oil leak from the nose seal of the reduction gear case. Contributing to the accident were the oil leak, the pilot's reduced visibility out the windscreen, and rising terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 2, 2006 · about 6:54 pm local time
- Place
- Battle Creek, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175 · all 175s on the register
- Registration
- N9408B · no longer on the register · serial 55208
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Air traffic controllers received an emergency radio call from a person representing the airplane. The pilot responded that oil was on the airplane's windshield and that oil pressure was zero. The airplane was given a heading to divert to the closest airport. The pilot was asked if he could maintain altitude and he responded "no." The pilot advised that he was going to land in a field. Air traffic controllers alerted crash, fire, and rescue personnel of the airplane's location. The airplane was found near the top of a crest in rolling pastureland about eight miles northeast of the diversion airport. The empennage was streaked with a liquid consistent with oil. The windshield was broken and pieces of it were coated with a liquid consistent with oil. An on-scene examination of the wreckage revealed no airframe pre-impact anomalies. The top right side of the engine, aft facing forward, was coated with a liquid consistent with oil. The engine case and cylinders showed no pre-impact anomalies that would have precluded engine operation. The top of the separated reduction gear case was coated with a liquid consistent with oil. Disassembly showed that the upper right section of the nose seal assembly, which sealed against the reduction gear case, exhibited an area coated with a liquid consistent with oil. The remainder of the seal was intact and was not coated with liquid. The airplane did not have shoulder harnesses installed and was not required to have them installed. Advisory Circular 91-65, Use of Shoulder Harness in Passenger Seats, in part, stated, "The [National Transportation Safety Board] concluded that shoulder harness use is the most effective way of reducing fatalities and serious injuries in general aviation accidents."
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all
- Last flight review: July 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,297.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental GO-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BAX Bad Axe MI at 4:30 pm
- Destination: Chicago IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,700 ft; scat at 1,600 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from BTL, 8 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.