Cessna 172F accident near Crystal Falls, Michigan, December 29, 2007
On December 29, 2007 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N8191U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Crystal Falls, Michigan. It was a personal 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 rough, unsuitable terrain encountered during the landing which resulted in the total failure of the nose landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 2007 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Crystal Falls, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8191U · registry record · serial 17252091
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was substantially damaged during landing on a frozen lake when the nose landing gear collapsed. The pilot reported that he was landing on a frozen lake to visit ice-fisherman. He stated that he had landed at one end of the lake and spent about 20 minutes talking to some fishermen and then got back in the airplane and flew to the opposite end of the lake. Upon landing, the nose landing gear struck a crack in the ice and collapsed. The airplane then slid about 400 feet before coming to rest. Examination of the airplane revealed damage to the engine, propeller and firewall.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,882 hours in all; 800 in this make and model
- Last flight review: September 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Crystal Falls MI at 4:55 pm
- 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.