Cessna 120 accident near Niles, Michigan, July 26, 1982
On July 26, 1982 at about 1:15 am local time, a Cessna 120, registered N2902N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Niles, Michigan (Jerry Tyler Memorial 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 1982 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Niles, Michigan · Jerry Tyler Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120 · all 120s on the register
- Registration
- N2902N · no longer on the register · serial 22-3168
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT WAS ON HIS SECOND SOLO FLIGHT IN EVENING HOURS. REPORTEDLY, AFTER HE HAD COMPLETED 4 LANDINGS, DUSK WAS APPROACHING AND THE INSTRUCTOR TOLD HIM TO MAKE ONLY 2 MORE LANDINGS. WHEN THE STUDENT WAS ABOUT READY TO TAKEOFF ON HIS 6TH PATTERN, A KING AIR CALLED ON A STRAIGHT-IN APPROACH. BY THE TIME THE KING AIR LANDED AND THE STUDENT TOOK OFF, IT WAS DUSK AND DARKNESS WAS APPROACHING. DURING THE LAST LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED, AND ON THE SECOND TOUCHDOWN, IT VEERED OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY, WENT INTO THE GRASS, THEN NOSED OVER. THE INSTRUCTOR, WHO WAS MONITORING THE FLIGHT, BELIEVED THAT THE APPROACHING DARKNESS CONTRIBUTED TO THE MISHAP.
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: student
- Flight time: 26 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3TR Niles MI at 8:25 pm
- Destination: 3TR Niles MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 3,300 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 174°F (79°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.
Other NTSB records under N2902N the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.