Cessna 172 accident near Hastings, Michigan, December 8, 2007
On December 8, 2007 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N173DA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hastings, Michigan (Hastings 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot failed to maintain directional control during landing. Factors were the ditch and the icy runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 2007 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hastings, Michigan · Hastings 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
- N173DA · no longer on the register · serial 17253664
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that he was on his first solo flight and was practicing takeoffs and landings to a full stop. The first landing was successful. During the landing rollout on the second full stop landing, the student pilot applied brakes. The braking action on the runway was uneven due to icy patches of snow and ice on the runway. The airplane began to depart the left side of the runway and the student pilot attempted to apply right rudder and right brake, but it had no effect. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and nosed over when the airplane impacted a shallow drainage ditch.
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: 32 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9D9 Hastings MI
- Flight plan: none
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.